The Rise of the Peasantry, 1880–1920

This chapter deals with the rise of a Girmitiya peasantry. That was fostered by the decline of the plantation sector, which made workers redundant and land available. The colonial government embarked on a colonisation policy aimed at increasing the population to create an ample labour supply that could push down wage levels. The settlement was made attractive to British Indian immigrants by giving them a piece of land and a premium of f100 if they waived their free return to India. The argument is structured as follows. Section 5.2 discusses the deterioration of plantation agriculture, while Sect. 5.3 discusses the shift from labour politics to population politics, mainly consisting of an increasing settlement of Girmitiya peasants. Section 5.4 builds on this development: the Girmitiya settlers became Suriname’s main food suppliers, especially rice. Section 5.5 zooms in on the fragmented agricultural landscape in the first three decades of the twentieth century. During this period, other economic sectors were practically depleted and hopes were pinned on rice exports. Section 5.6 discusses the problems of rice production for export and policies related to it.