A History of Agriculture in India v2.c60.s8.1

v2.c60.s8.1

The Sultan now thought of rehabilitating agriculture. He encouragd the digging of wells and gave loans to the cultivators. He evolved a scheme for State farming and reclamation of waste-lands. ‘A department, called *diwan-i-amir-i koh*, was organized to promote agriculture, and officers to it were appointed. The country was divided into imaginary rectangles (*daira*) of thirty *karohs* by thirty *karohs* on two conditions—not a handful of land in all these *karohs* was to be left uncultivated and every crop was to be changed; thus wheat was to be grown instead of barley, sugarcane instead of wheat, and grapes and dates instead of sugarcane. This rotation displayed complete ignorance of the principles of agriculture. About a hundred *shiqdars*, or undertakers, were to be appointed (to these imaginary rectangles). Greedy men, men in distress and reckless adventurers came and undertook within three years to bring under cultivation three hundred thousand *bighas* of barren land (*zamin-i akhal*) and to provide three thousand horses from the barren land. They gave written deeds to this effect. To this reckless group, which undertook to cultivate barren land, various awards were given—caparisoned horses, cloaks of brocade and cash. Out of a loan (*sondhar*) of three lakhs of *tankas* promised to each of them, every one got fifty thousand *tankas* in immediate cash. The money they got seemed the price of their blood.’⁷ Fortunately for them the Sultan died at Thatta. Had he returned all the *shiqdars* and loanees would have been despatched to hell.