Why were Indian farmers reluctant to grow opium?

The Indian farmers were reluctant to grow opium due to:

→The crop had to be grown on the best land, on fields that lay

near the villages and were well manured.

→ This land was usually used for growing pulses. If opium was

grown on fertile and well manured land then pulses would have

to be grown on less fertile land and yield would not be good in

quality as well as quantity.

→ The cultivation of opium was difficult and time-consuming as

the plants required looking after. As a consequence, the

cultivators would not have time to look after their

other produce.

→ The farmers had to pay the rent for their land to the

landlords. This rent was very high. The cultivators owned no

land.

→ Finally, the price the government paid for the opium produce

was very low and would provide the farmers with no profits.