The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were

Correct Option

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the mid-18th century were:

• Cotton: Bengal was a major centre for the production of cotton textiles, which were highly valued in European markets.
• Silk: The region was a significant source of raw silk and silk fabrics, forming a crucial component of the Company's trade.
• Saltpetre: Essential for the manufacture of gunpowder, saltpetre (potassium nitrate) was a strategic commodity primarily sourced from Bengal and Bihar.
• Opium: Cultivated in Bengal, opium became a principal export to China, playing a critical role in the Company's trade balance and subsequently leading to the Opium Wars.

Incorrect Options

Option 1: Raw cotton was primarily exported from Western India (e.g., Gujarat and Maharashtra) rather than Bengal. While oil-seeds were traded, they were not among the staple commodities of export from Bengal in the same league as cotton textiles or silk during this period.

Option 2: Sugar, salt, zinc, and lead were not the principal export commodities from Bengal for the English East India Company in the mid-18th century. Salt was a significant commodity but primarily for internal trade and consumption within India, not a major export from Bengal by the Company.

Option 3: Copper, silver, and gold were primarily imported into India by the Company to finance its purchases of Indian goods, not exported from Bengal. Spices were predominantly sourced from South India (Malabar Coast) and Southeast Asia, not Bengal. Tea cultivation and export from India by the Company became significant much later, primarily from Assam, in the 19th century.