How did mahatos tempt the unwilling cultivators to grow opium?
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In Bengal and Bihar there were many poor peasants in the rural areas who found it difficult to pay rent to the landlords and to buy food and clothing. Since 1780s the village headmen or mahatos started giving them money advances to produce opium. They were tempted to take the loans to meet their immediate expenses. But the loans bound the peasants to the headmen. The peasants were bound to the government through the headmen.
The opium agents of the government advanced the money to the headmen, who gave it to the cultivators. The cultivators had to grow opium on a specified area of land and give the produce to the agents and accept the low price offered by them.
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The village headman also called as a Mahato, gave unwilling cultivators money advances or a loan to grow opium. These cultivators were poor and were tempted by these advances, as they never had money enough even to survive and to pay for their expenses such as their rent, food etc. When they accepted these loans, they always thought they would be able to pay it back, however these loans tied the cultivator to the Mahato and in turn to the government. By accepting these loans, the cultivator was forced to grow opium and to give the produce to government agents, who worked through the Mahato.
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