Raising Cane : The Political Economy Of Sugar In Western India

Like any book, this one is part of a dialogue. Over the years, I have asked thousands of questions, of myself and others, and tried to answer some. Out of all this discussion, a written pattern has grown. It is certainly not a definitive pattern. Among those whose words have been woven into it, there are many who might have fashioned it better. There are some who would have selected different colors and textures, or who might have preferred a totally different pattern. I am conscious of their voices and wish that I could adequately present them all. First and foremost are the voices of farmers and other villagers, whose experiences I have tried to understand and represent. A few of them will read this book and decide whether I learned anything from all their patient answers. If they were so inclined, they could tell more about the subject than I ever can. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Tables and Figures 12 Acknowledgments 16 PART ONE INTRODUCTION 20 1 The Problem 22 An Anomalous Industry 23 Nationalism and Dependency Theory 25 Dependent India? 29 Agrarian Regions in India 30 Political Economy 33 Enterprising Peasant Families 34 Looking Ahead 37 Notes 39 2 The Setting 41 Malegaon Village c. 1885, 42 Rural Life Before the British Raj 48 Stratification 50 Risk and Mobility 52 Competition and Mobility 55 Change in the 19th Century 58 Conclusion 64 Notes 65 PART TWO SUGAR PRODUCTION BEFORE INDEPENDENCE 66 3 Irrigation and Imperialism 68 Origin of the Deccan Canals 69 The Problem of Unwanted Water 70 Fiscal Pressures and Wasted Water 77 The Sugarcane Block System 79 Cane Blocks and Famine Protection 81 Impact of Peasants on Policy 84 Notes 85 4 Peasants Versus Capitalists 87 North India: Origins of the Industry 88 The Bombay Deccan: Cane and Gul Production 93 The High Cost of Sugarcane 96 Management of an Expensive Crop 98 Relations of Production 100 Origins of the Bombay Sugar Industry 104 Reorganization from Below 107 Conclusion 108 Notes 109 PART THREE MALEGAON VILLAGE, 1900-1950 112 5 Old Elites and New Entrepreneurs 114 New Ideas and Movements 114 History of the Jagir 119 Shambhusingh Jadhavrao 121 The Raja and the Sugar Economy 123 Keshavrao Taware 129 The Nira Valley Sugar Company 132 Sugar Magnates 133 Idealists and Other Innovators 137 Notes 140 6 Migration and Economic Mobility 141 Migrants with a Leg Up 143 Drought and Migration 145 Hazards in the Family Cycle 148 Family Cycles and Upward Mobility 149 Migrant Dhangars: A Success Story 153 Less Fortunate Immigrants 156 Local Land-Gainers 158 Mobility for the Landless 161 Local Land-Losers 163 Overall Mobility 165 Notes 170 7 The Pattern of Inequality and Mobility 172 Data and Methods 172 Economic Mobility and Inequality 173 Caste and Mobility 183 The Great Depression 189 Political Economy So Far 196 Notes 200 PART FOUR COOPERATIVE SUGAR, 1950-1985 204 8 The Politics of Sugar 206 Sugar Interests at the National Level 207 Sugar Interests at the State Level 209 The First Cooperative Factories 212 Factory Organizers Near Baramati 215 Cooperative Organization 218 Evolution of Factory Politics 221 Cooperatives and State Politics 227 Notes 233 9 Performance and Impact of a Sugar Co-op 235 Economic Rationale 236 Growth of the Malegaon Factory 237 Malegaon's Other Investments 244 Investments by Other Sugar Co-ops 247 Impact of the Malegaon Factory: Employment 249 Indirect Employment Effects 253 Diversification and Mobility 255 Changes in Relations of Production 259 Changes in Land Distribution 262 Nonagricultural Incomes 269 Poverty, Inequality, and Economic Expansion 274 Notes 276 10 Why Do Some Cooperatives Work? 279 Regional Differences in Sugar Production 279 Technical and Economic Efficiency 283 The Basis for a Class Alliance 289 Comparisons with Other Types of Co-ops 293 Competition and Efficiency 295 Competition and Innovation 299 Cooperative Factories in the North 302 Competition and Accountability 304 Notes 306 PART FIVE CONCLUSION 308 11 Revolution from the Middle 310 Grass-Roots Development 311 The Rise of Progressive Peasants 316 Oligarchy and Bureaucracy 320 West Bengal 322 Uttar Pradesh 326 "Living in a Revolution" 329 Notes 337 Appendix on Methods 340 Glossary 351 Bibliography 354 About the Book and Author 369 Index 371 An examination of the sugar factories of western India which are organized as cooperatives, owned and operated by the peasants. The author details the creativity and political knowledge of the peasant leaders and the strategies for grass-roots leadership elsewhere in India and the Third World. This book describes the origin of the cooperatives, documenting the creativity and political savvy of their peasant leaders. It discusses the causes and results of their innovations and the paradoxes of the peasant-owned sugar industry in Western India.