The present work attempts a detailed study of the historical experience in the agricultural sector in undivided Bengal during the period 1920/21 to 1945/46. The book is divided into two parts. The first part is devoted to an examination of the quality of the officially published crop statistics and the analysis of the trends in crop output, acreage under cultivation and yield per acre. The second part deals with the most important factors which directly or indirectly influenced the trends in agricultural production, viz. impact of price, physical capital assets, credit and the role of the landlords.

The research which finally led to this study was begun in 1968 and an earlier version of this book was presented for the degree of PhD in the University of London in 1972. During these years of work on this book I have incurred a long list of obligations. None are greater than those I owe to Dr K. N. Chaudhuri who supervised my research and the writing of the dissertation. I am most grateful to him for the many hours of careful attention he gave, for the unrestrained development of thought which he encouraged and for his useful criticisms and advice. I am also grateful to him for writing the ‘Foreword’. The preparation of the revised manuscript was started when I was working with Prof. Dietmar Rothermund at the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University. I am grateful to him for his valuable suggestions. I am also indebted to Mr B. H. Farmer, Director, Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge, who took keen interest in the publication of this book.