Asian Agri-History

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Some Historical Aspects of Indian Cotton and Cotton Textile Trade


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1 Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi – 110012, Delhi, India
     

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Cotton is one of the greatest gifts that India has given to the world, and its cultivation goes back to even before the Vedic period. Europeans came to know of cotton only in the 5th century, when Alexander the Great attacked India. Even before the arrival of the Mughals, India was trading cotton with countries in the Middle East, continental Europe, and Egypt through the Silk Route. For the Mughals, this was the major export commodity and the trade through the Silk Route continued until 1498 CE, when the Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama landed at Kappadu near Kozhikode (formerly Calicut), in Kerala, and established the sea route for trade. The British East India Company established itself strongly after their victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French associates in the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757. Export of cotton textiles and calico to Britain started in a big way and continued up to the end of the 18th century. However, the development of spinning and weaving machinery, during the late 18th century in Britain, reversed the trade by the early 19th century, and India became merely an exporter of raw cotton to Britain. During the late 18th century, the British cotton industry was the largest in the world, but the Anglo-French wars during 1778–83 reduced their trade with continental Europe, and USA became their major export market for cotton goods. Britain also started to import raw cotton from USA. India’s cotton export to Britain suffered because of this. However, the American Civil War of 1861–65 blocked the supply of raw cotton from USA, and Britain again started imports from India. World War I (1914-17) completely shattered the British cotton industry and it never recovered, because other countries began to develop their textile industries. India now exports raw cotton mainly to neighboring Bangladesh and Pakistan, and to some Southeast Asian countries. India’s exports in 2016-17 were estimated at US$ 6.3 billion (12.2% of the global exports). However, India is now the leading producer of organic cotton, the market for which is on the increase, but here again the trend is towards decline in area and production.

Keywords

Bt Cotton, Better Cotton Initiative, Calico, Cotton Textiles, East India Company, Muslin, Naturally-Coloured Cotton, Organic Cotton, Spinning Jenny, The Spinning Mule, The Water Frame.
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  • Some Historical Aspects of Indian Cotton and Cotton Textile Trade

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Authors

Rajendra Prasad
Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi – 110012, Delhi, India

Abstract


Cotton is one of the greatest gifts that India has given to the world, and its cultivation goes back to even before the Vedic period. Europeans came to know of cotton only in the 5th century, when Alexander the Great attacked India. Even before the arrival of the Mughals, India was trading cotton with countries in the Middle East, continental Europe, and Egypt through the Silk Route. For the Mughals, this was the major export commodity and the trade through the Silk Route continued until 1498 CE, when the Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama landed at Kappadu near Kozhikode (formerly Calicut), in Kerala, and established the sea route for trade. The British East India Company established itself strongly after their victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French associates in the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757. Export of cotton textiles and calico to Britain started in a big way and continued up to the end of the 18th century. However, the development of spinning and weaving machinery, during the late 18th century in Britain, reversed the trade by the early 19th century, and India became merely an exporter of raw cotton to Britain. During the late 18th century, the British cotton industry was the largest in the world, but the Anglo-French wars during 1778–83 reduced their trade with continental Europe, and USA became their major export market for cotton goods. Britain also started to import raw cotton from USA. India’s cotton export to Britain suffered because of this. However, the American Civil War of 1861–65 blocked the supply of raw cotton from USA, and Britain again started imports from India. World War I (1914-17) completely shattered the British cotton industry and it never recovered, because other countries began to develop their textile industries. India now exports raw cotton mainly to neighboring Bangladesh and Pakistan, and to some Southeast Asian countries. India’s exports in 2016-17 were estimated at US$ 6.3 billion (12.2% of the global exports). However, India is now the leading producer of organic cotton, the market for which is on the increase, but here again the trend is towards decline in area and production.

Keywords


Bt Cotton, Better Cotton Initiative, Calico, Cotton Textiles, East India Company, Muslin, Naturally-Coloured Cotton, Organic Cotton, Spinning Jenny, The Spinning Mule, The Water Frame.

References