Condition of Indian Agriculture. 



169 



showing the variations in the average annual prices of the 

 principal food grains at selected Indian marts, taking the 

 anmial average price of 1873 as 100 : — 





Wheat. 



Rice. 



Millet. 



Vears. 



0 



CU 

 0 



a 

 U 





U 



d 



^ 0 

 < 'a 





-a 



d 



< 



1861-65 

 1866-70 



1873 



1871-75 



1876-80 



1881-85 



1886-90 



1891-95 



119 

 138 

 100 

 102 



143 

 107 

 116 



79 

 no 

 100 

 84 

 99 

 82 



99 

 106 



113 

 124 

 100 

 113 

 152 

 114 

 132 

 127 



73 



83 

 100 



82 

 104 



90 



81 

 109 



94 

 104 

 100 



98 

 107 



98 

 106 

 106 



142 



157 

 100 



87 

 178 



74 

 84 

 107 



173 

 168 



100 

 no 



153 

 107 

 130 

 118 



Wheat prices are stated to have been greatly affected by the 

 recent famine, but if coming harvests ar^ good, normal prices 

 may be expected to prevail in 1899- 1900. 



In connection with the question of prices, the probable 

 course of wheat cultivation in India is briefly referred to. It 

 is pointed out that there has been some extension of the area 

 under wheat in recent years,* and that this was partly 

 in response to the export demand. The largest wheat 

 -exports ever sent from India were 1,515,000 tons 

 in 1891-92; the wheat exports were 345,000 tons in 

 1894-95, and 500,000 tons in 1895-96. Another cause 

 of the increase of the wheat area of the Panjab was the 



* Subjoined are figures for the wheat acreage of the three chief wheat-growing 

 provinces : — 





Area of Wheat Cultivation in Acres. 



1888-89. 



1890-91. 



1892-93. 



1893-94. 



1894-95. 



Panjab - - - 



Central Provinces 



N. W. Provinces and 

 Gudh 



6,919,000 

 3,866,000 

 4,777,000 



6,223,000 

 4,086,000 

 4,490,000 



7,020,000 

 4,197,000 

 4,641,000 



8,265,000 

 3,986,000 

 4,827,000 



8,052,000 

 3,309,000 

 4,614,000 



