Abstract

Today India is among the major sugar producers and sugar-making has a long tradition, yet the adoption of modern sugar technologies was delayed. Which factors underpinned this? This article examines the attempts of European sugar entrepreneurs to adopt new sugar technologies in 1830s–1840s Bihar. Its findings correspond with recent literature on Indian economic development which emphasises the role of declining agricultural productivity in economic stagnation in the colonial period. This article supports the conclusions that low agricultural productivity was the outcome of inadequate investment on the part of the British Empire. It also highlights that in the case of commercial crops – such as sugar – investment into new technologies with potential for increasing productivity was hindered by British trade policies. As British imperial policies gave preference to the welfare of the British consumer, lacked consideration for colonial manufacturing, they did not create a beneficial environment for long-run investment projects.

摘要

如今，印度是主要的食糖生产国之一，制糖业有着悠久的传统，但现​​代制糖技术的采用却被推迟了。哪些因素支撑了这一点？本文探讨了欧洲糖业企业家在 1830 年代至 1840 年代比哈尔邦采用新糖技术的尝试。其研究结果与最近有关印度经济发展的文献相符，该文献强调农业生产力下降在殖民时期经济停滞中的作用。本文支持这样的结论：农业生产率低下是大英帝国投资不足的结果。它还强调，就糖等经济作物而言，对具有提高生产力潜力的新技术的投资受到英国贸易政策的阻碍。