How did the East India Company procure regular supplies of cotton and silk textiles from Indian weavers?

The East India Company adopted various steps to ensure regular supplies of cotton and silk textiles. (i) Established political power to assert monopoly right to trade. (ii) Developed a system of management and control that would eliminate competition, control cost and ensure regular supply of cotton and silk goods. (iii) Eliminated the existing traders and broker connected with cloth and established direct control with the weaver. (iv) Appointed paid servants called gomasthas to supervise weavers, examine the quality of the cloth and collect supplies. (v) Weavers were not allowed to contact other buyers. Weavers were given advances and were offered the loan to buy raw material. Those who took advance or loan could not contact any other trader. (vi) The weavers had to sell at a price dictated by the Company. By giving loan the Company bed the weavers with them. read less

The East India Company employed Gumastas as agents to interface with the weavers as their sole agents. The weavers were given loans and advances and these weavers were not allowed to market their products directly but sell these to the Company. The Company had already established political power to act as a monopoly in dealing with cotton and silk textiles to enable it to indulge in such monopolistic and restrictive trade practices which ensured huge profits for it read less