Severe and successive droughts from November 1769 to April 1770 led to crop failures and extensive famine in Bengal, Orissa and Bihar which were only relieved when new crops were harvested in August 1770. Contemporary reports of thousands of dead in the streets were confirmed by later reliable estimates by the British administration that around 10 million people had died. The economy was devastated. The death of large numbers of children produced the near entire loss of an entire social generation. The death of many cotton weavers and spinners - a staple industry of the region led to higher prices for cotton goods and reduced quality which made it difficult for the East India Company to sell Indian cotton goods in Europe, and this at …
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Serious famine in Bengal". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 March 2010 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=12933, accessed 23 November 2024.]
