ABSTRACT
The commercialization of agriculture and the development of infrastructure like roads, canals, and railways, and improvement of trade induced the rich peasants to focus more on land. It is one of the causes affecting property rights in Andhra, particularly in the delta districts. The development of communication systems for the smooth movement of the produce from interior regions to the ports and consequent commercialization of agriculture led to the emergence of export-induced agrarian market in Andhra, which served the interests of the colonial government rather than the people in the region. 1 The commercialization caused the expansion of trade and money relations, and historians believed, this followed with the construction of the railways. 2 However, the railways alone were not sufficient to catch the produce from all the villages. The roads and canals also helped the colonial government to integrate the agricultural produce of the villages with the world market by sending the produce to the nearest villages, towns, and cities which were connected by railways and ports. Not only cotton, sugar cane, indigo, oil seeds, but also food grains like rice were exported to the world market. This led to the decline of traditional markets that served the needs of the local people. Commodities were moved constantly for external trade. Even in some areas in the delta districts grain became a commodity for the international market. However, this phenomenon was not uniform in all the regions of Andhra.
