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The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company fro

June 1, 2025 by rawan239

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were

Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium

Sugar, salt, zinc and lead

Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea

Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium

This question was previously asked in

UPSC IAS – 2018

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In the mid-18th century, particularly after gaining significant political influence in Bengal (like post-Battle of Plassey 1757), the English East India Company dramatically increased its exports from the region.

The staple commodities of export by the EIC from Bengal during this period included textiles (cotton and silk fabrics), saltpetre (potassium nitrate, essential for gunpowder), and increasingly, opium. Bengal was a major producer of silk, cotton, and saltpetre. Opium, while initially traded, became a massive export commodity, especially towards China, funding the purchase of Chinese goods like tea and silk.

Option A includes oil-seeds, which were less prominent than textiles or saltpetre as *staple* exports. Option B includes commodities that were either less significant exports (sugar, salt) or primarily imports (zinc, lead). Option C includes precious metals (copper, silver, gold) which were primarily imported into India to purchase goods for export, and tea, which became a major EIC export from India much later, in the 19th century. Spices were more associated with trade from South India and the East Indies initially. Therefore, cotton, silk, saltpetre, and opium accurately represent the major staples exported from Bengal by the EIC in the mid-18th century.

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