§ *MR. H. J. WILSON (Yorkshire, W.R., Holmfirth)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that in the Reports of the Bengal Opium Department it appears that the area under poppy cultivation increased from 770,000 big has in 1889–90 to 890,000 big has in 1896–7; that "the increased area obtained was doubtless largely attributable to the necessitous condition of the cultivators"; and that, in the Report for 1897–8, it is stated that "food grains are selling at so high a price that the cultivators are expecting to gain more by sowing wheat, and such crops, than by sowing poppy"; and whether he will call the attention of the Indian Government to the undesirability of tempting cultivators by the offer of Government advances to sow poppy instead of more profitable food crops.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Lord G. HAMILTON,) Middlesex, Ealing(1)I am aware that the area of poppy cultivation in Bengal has increased, nearly as stated in the hon Member's question, between the years 1890 and 1898. The area in 1898 appears to have been considerably below that of 1897. (2) The cultivators are perfectly free to sow food or other crops as they may prefer; and if food crops are more profitable, as stated in the question, they will no doubt sow them. The present system is the result of long experience and much inquiry and consideration, in which full weight was given to the importance of controlling the traffic in opium and keeping it within bounds, and I should be reluctant to interfere with the rules and regulations of a system which has worked well.