JUTE EXPORT FROM EAST BENGAL A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

This article provides a historical overview of the jute export economy of East Bengal (the region that would become Bangladesh). It traces the rise of jute as the region's primary cash crop and export commodity during the British colonial period. The study examines the structure of the colonial jute economy, from the cultivation by millions of smallholder peasants to its processing in mills around Calcutta and its export to the world market, primarily controlled by British trading houses. The research analyzes the profound impact of this export-oriented monoculture on the agrarian economy and social structure of East Bengal. The paper also discusses the disruptions and reconfigurations of the jute trade following the partition of India in 1947, which separated the jute-growing areas of East Pakistan from the processing mills in West Bengal. The analysis concludes by highlighting the long-term legacy of this colonial-era economic structure.

Jute, the "golden fiber," was the engine of the export economy of East Bengal for over a century. This paper provides a sweeping historical overview of this crucial sector, from its zenith in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to the challenges it faced after partition. The study begins by detailing the rise of the global demand for jute, driven by the industrial revolution, and how the unique agro-climatic conditions of the Bengal delta made it the world's pre-eminent producer. The core of the article is an analysis of the structure of the colonial jute economy. It portrays a classic colonial model, where the raw material was produced by a vast, impoverished peasantry in East Bengal, while the more lucrative processing and trading activities were concentrated in and around Calcutta, and largely controlled by British and Marwari capital. The paper argues that this structure, while generating significant export revenues, did little to promote broad-based development in the jute-growing heartlands. A key section of the paper focuses on the profound disruption caused by the 1947 partition of Bengal. This act created an international border between the jute fields of East Pakistan and the jute mills of West Bengal (India), necessitating the painful and costly process of building a new jute industry from scratch in the eastern wing. The findings underscore the enduring legacy of this historical economic pattern on the subsequent development challenges faced by Bangladesh after its own independence.