Raising Cane: The Political Economy of Sugar in Western India

385 Pages·2019·32.831 MB·English

by  Donald W. Attwood

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Raising Cane
The Political Economy of
Sugar in Western India
Donald W. Attwood
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LONDON AND NEW YORK
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Contents
List of Tables and Figures Xl
Acknowledgments XV
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
l The Problem 3
An Anomalous Industry, 4
Nationalism and Dependency Theory, 6
Dependent India? 10
Agrarian Regions in India, ll
Political Economy, 14
Enterprising Peasant Families, 15
Looking Ahead, 18
Notes, 20
2 The Setting 22
Malegaon Village c. 1885, 23
Rural Life Before the British Raj, 29
Stratification, 31
Risk and Mobility, 33
Competition and Mobility, 36
Change in the 19th Century, 39
Conclusion, 45
Notes, 46
PART TWO
SUGAR PRODUCTION BEFORE INDEPENDENCE
3 Irrigation and Imperialism 49
Origin of the Deccan Canals, 50
The Problem of Unwanted Water, 51
Fiscal Pressures and Wasted Water, 58
The Sugarcane Block System, 60
Cane Blocks and Famine Protection, 62
vii
viii Contents
Impact of Peasants on Policy, 65
Notes, 66
4 Peasants Versus Capitalists 68
North India: Origins of the Industry, 69
The Bombay Deccan: Cane and Gut
Production, 74
The High Cost of Sugarcane, 77
Management of an Expensive Crop, 79
Relations of Production, 81
Origins of the Bombay Sugar Industry, 85
Reorganization from Below, 88
Conclusion, 89
Notes, 90
PART THREE
MALEGAON VILLAGE, 1900-1950
S Old Elites and New Entrepreneurs 95
New Ideas and Movements, 95
History of the ]agir, 100
Shambhusingh Jadhavrao, 102
The Raja and the Sugar Economy, 104
Keshavrao Taware, llO
The Nira Valley Sugar Company, ll3
Sugar Magnates, ll4
Idealists and Other Innovators, liB
Notes, 121
6 Migration and Economic Mobility 122
Migrants with a Leg Up, 124
Drought and Migration, 126
Hazards in the Family Cycle, 129
Family Cycles and Upward Mobility, 130
Migrant Dhangars: A Success Story, 134
Less Fortunate Immigrants, 137
Local Land-Gainers, 139
Mobility for the Landless, 142
Local Land-Losers, 144
Overall Mobility, 146
Notes, 151
7 The Pattern of Inequality and Mobility 153
Data and Methods, 153
Contents ix
Economic Mobility and Inequality, 154
Caste and Mobility, 164
The Great Depression, 170
Political Economy So Far, 177
Notes, 181
PART FOUR
COOPERATIVE SUGAR, 1950-1985
8 The Politics of Sugar 187
Sugar Interests at the National Level, 188
Sugar Interests at the State Level, 190
The First Cooperative Factories, 193
Factory Organizers Near Baramati, 196
Cooperative Organization, 199
Evolution of Factory Politics, 202
Cooperatives and State Politics, 208
Notes, 214
9 Performance and Impact of a Sugar Co-op 216
Economic Rationale, 217
Growth of the Malegaon Factory, 218
Malegaon's Other Investments, 225
Investments by Other Sugar Co-ops, 228
Impact of the Malegaon Factory: Employment, 230
Indirect Employment Effects, 234
Diversification and Mobility, 236
Changes in Relations of Production, 240
Changes in Land Distribution, 243
Nonagricultural Incomes, 250
Poverty, Inequality, and Economic Expansion, 255
Notes, 257
10 Why Do Some Cooperatives Work? 260
Regional Differences in Sugar Production, 260
Technical and Economic Efficiency, 264
The Basis for a Class Alliance, 270
Comparisons with Other Types of Co-ops, 274
Competition and Efficiency, 276
Competition and Innovation, 280
Cooperative Factories in the North, 283
Competition and Accountability, 285
Notes, 287