What were the reasons for rapid expansion of cultivation in the colonial period?

What were the reasons for rapid expansion of cultivation in the colonial period?

Ans.

In the colonial period, cultivation expanded rapidly for the following reasons :

(i) The British directly encouraged the production of commercial crops like jute, sugar, wheat and cotton. The demand increased as food grains were needed to feed the growing urban population in Europe and raw materials were required for industrial production.

(ii) The colonial state thought that forests were unproductive and therefore had to be brought under cultivation so that it could yield agricultural products and revenue.