40
Extracted from the Dictionary of
PAPAVER
Area & Production.
somniferum.
CULTIVATION
Area &
Production.
Bengal
opium.
therefore, it may be said that the opium-producing area of British India lies
in the Gangetic basin and follows the natural configuration of the country
from Monghyr (37° E. long.) to Agra, Muttra, and almost Delhi (78°E
. long.), and between a line on the south from Gya, Allahabad, Banda,
Jalaon, and Agra (24° to 26° N. lat.) to a similar line on the north from Cham
-
parun (Moteeharee), and Keri to Moradabad (28° N. lat.). Beyond
these limits a casual or insignificant cultivation of course exists from Kuch
Behar in the east to Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan in the west, but
the British districts of Bengal, east of Monghyr, which formerly were per
-
mitted to grow the drug, have been prohibited from doing so since 1840.
The area defined approximately embraces the region that produces the
Bengal opium.
The following three tables exhibit certain important features of the
Bengal opium traffic:—
YEARS.
Poppy
area in
acres.
Opium
produced
in
maunds.
Numberof
Abkari
chests
made.
Numberof
Provision
chests
made.
PRODUCE PER BIGHA.
Behar.
Benares.
Sr. Ch.
Sr. Ch.
1860-61 . .
272,086
58,168
3,107 ⅓
29,398
4 12¼
6 6¼
1861-62
.
.
388,228
75,044
3,019 ⅔
39,656
4 9
5 4½
1862-63
445,221
93,583
3,190
49,727
6
1 ½
5 6¾
1863-64
505,408 1,19,517
2,622
64,269
6
0
5
1 1 ¾
1864-65
478,241
86,276
2,384
47,785
4 8
4 8¼
1865-66
398,644
81,327
4,157
40,901
4 14¼
5 12¾
1866-67
438,798
93,136
4,596
48,895
5
3 ¾
5 6¾
1867-68
453,159
83,750
5,277
43,610
4
6 ¾
4 15
1868-69
430,863
86,019
4,458
46,8942/5
4
1 1 ¾
5 5¾
1869-70
485,016
99,124
2,579
54,0727/40
5 5¼
4 12½
1870-71
515,851
76,739
3,114
40,9811/5
3
1 2
3
1 0 ¾
1871-72
535,452
81,431
3,431
42,975
4 2¾
3 4½
1872-73
509,053
88,104
4,016½
45,770
4 10½
3 14
1873-74
456,069 1,03,862
3,637½
54,716
5 15
5 6¼
1874-75
543,541
98,178
3,892¼
51,754
4 1 0
4 5¾
1875-76
530,730 1,28,817
3,972½
68,051
5
1 3 ¼
6 5¾
1876-77
556,013 1,25,256
4,326
67,167
4 14¾
6 9¾
1877-78
467,665
79,383
4,261
43,140
3 5½
5
4 ¾
1878-79
506,943
97,905
5,605½
49,961
3 15½
5 11½
1879-80
562,261
99,070
4,221
52,969
4 10
4 2¼
1880-81
536,017
94,798
4,378
49,733
4
8 ½
4
4 ¾
1881-82
531,275
1,00,889
3,959½
54,039
4 4¾
5 4½
1882-83
495,740
69,287
5911/6
38,214
2 12
4 3¾
1883-84
505,843
1,26,597
2,1461/3
65,993
5 15¼
6 8½
1884-85
565,246 1,33,803
4,3215/12
6 4 , 9 3 0
5 2¼
6
1 0
1885-86
594,921
1,21,500
2,291
64,500
5 4¼
4 15¼
1886-87
562,052
1,07,577
2,831½
57,500
4 5¼
5 4¼ A
1887-88
536,607 1,23,043
3,367
69,500
5 6
6
2 ¾
1888-89
459,864
67,732
3,485
38,305
3 2¾'
4 3¾
1889-90
482,557
95,868
6,320
44,760
4 3½
5 9½
It will thus be seen that during the past 30 years the average annual
area under the crop under the Government Agencies has been 490.000
acres (approximately), and that it has never attained 600,000 acres. From
that accrage the annual production, during the period shown, has been
about 96,000 maunds, of which less than 2,500 maunds have been con
-
sumed in India. The balance on total production would be approximately
the amount which has been consigned to China.
The totals shown in the above table, for the past seven years, may now
be analysed under the headings of the two Government Agencies:—