Question

why were planters not willing to expand the area of indigo plantation

Answer 1

Hey mate!!!


Indigo is plant that is used in making blue dye.
It has a high value but the problem is that it reduces the fertility of soil.
If indigo was planted continuously, it would reduce the soil fertility and the land would become barren causing whole troubleshooting to planters.

Due to these reasons planters didn't want to plant indigo.

Hope it helps dear friend ☺️✌️✌️✌️

Answer 2

Industrialization had led to a high demand for cloth dyes in Britain. Previous Indigo exporters to Britain, namely North America and the West Indies nevertheless could not satisfy the demand and supplies crashed then. India became Britain's karta dharta for indigo production

Problems with Nij Cultivation:

• Only on fertile lands could Indigo be grown. Nevertheless, these areas were densely populated and therefore only small tracts could be bought. The expansion of the area under nij cultivation was thus difficult.  
• Many workers were required in a large plantation. Work in the indigo plantation coincided when farmers were engaged in rice growing. Therefore it was a difficult task to mobilize the labor for indigo rising.
• Nij farming in large scale also took many ploughs and bullocks. The bur and the repair of the ploughs was a major problem. As the peasant's ploughs and bullocks were busy in rice growing, they could not be hired.
• Planters were not prepared to expand their territory under cultivation until the late 19th century, due to these issues. Under nij system less than 25 percent of indigo cultivation was done.