Why did the British insisted the farmers to grow opium in India?
1. The English East India Company was buying tea and silk from china for sale in England. The Tea trade becomes more and more important. But England at this time produced nothing that could be easily sold in China.
2. Britishers could finance the tea trade only by paying in silver coins or bullion. This would impoverish the nation and deplete is wealth.
3. To stop this loss of silver they wanted trade opium in China.
4. As China became a country of opium addicts, British trade in tea flourished. The return from opium sale financed the purchase in china.
5. Export of opium from India to China proved cheaper for Britishers.
