Lac makes it count…..Vivek Deshpande
ICAR’s Krishi Vigyan Kendras are helping farmers of Vidarbha region’s Gondia district turn lac cultivation into a profitable venture
ICAR’s Krishi Vigyan Kendras are helping farmers of Vidarbha region’s Gondia district turn lac cultivation into a profitable venture
Farmers of the Naxal-affected Vidarbhas Gondia district had been growing lac traditionally but without reaping much benefit from the natural resin.
But thanks to Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), the casual activity has now metamorphosed into a lucrative farming venture.
With a new scientific method of cultivation prescribed by the Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums (IINRG), formerly Indian Lac Research Institute), Ranchi the only of its kind in the world farmers are handsomely supplementing their income alongwith growing paddy as the main crop.
The KVKs, units promoted by Indian Council of Agriculture research (ICAR), have been painstakingly at work for quite some time in the Vidarbha region: spreading awareness about IINRGs method of lac cultivation, training and field assistance, and also guiding farmers in marketing their produce in select districts. KVK forayed into Gondia district only last year in coordination with the Forest Department.
The lac programme, funded by the Tribal Development Department last year, covered 108 villages in the district. This year, the KVK has gone for a cluster approach (involving self-help groups and other farmers groups) with focus on 5,000 beneficiaries from 50 villages, most of them new. Lac cultivation is also proposed to be undertaken in Gadchiroli from this year.
India is the largest producer (16,495 tonnes in 2009-10) and exporter (6,700 tonnes worth Rs 12 crore) of lac in the world. Gondia, incidentally, is also the only lac-producing district in Maharashtra producing 400 tonnes per year.
Farmers of the district are pleasantly surprised by the results. I have started growing lac thrice as much as I would by the traditional method, says Rupchand Uike of Tumsar village. We grow it in two seasons round the year, each fetching up to Rs 15,000, he says.
There are the likes of new growers, like Jaindra Uike, who are adding as much to their kitty since last year.
The two seasons fall in June-July and October-November.
Lac is also easy to cultivate. All that a farmer has to do is infest the host trees like palas, berry and kusum with lac insects, Kerria lacca. Thousands of lac insects colonise branches of the trees and secrete the resinous pigment. The coated branches of the host trees are cut and harvested as sticklac.
On his 20 palas trees, Baliram Pandhare grows 60 kg of lac in a season. Earlier, he would sell it to traders for a pittance; now, he himself carries it to the Gondia market where he fetches as much as Rs 200 per kg. Last year, I earned Rs 24,000 in two seasons.
The scientific intervention has been in many ways. Earlier, farmers would not prune the tree branches enough number of times. Now, we have given them equipment for extensive pruning that helps in formation of fresh branches. This helps in more lac formation. Earlier, the farmers would simply put branches with lac insects on trees in the next season for fresh growth. Winds would often bring the branches down. We now provide them with branches covered with nets developed by IINRG. The nets lets only the lac insect come out while the the enemy pest, crysopa, remains stuck inside, says KVK field assistant Gajanan Patle.
The IINRG has also been promoting a new foreign-origin tree called Flemingia semialta over the past few years. While it would take up to seven years for a farmer to grow lac on these trees, production starts within two years.
At present, Gondia district is clocking an annual turnover of Rs 5-6 crore. KVK hopes the new initiative could help take it to about Rs 15-20 crore, says KVK project co-ordinator Abhay Wagh.
LAC COMPOSITION
Lac, a natural resin, is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. It is valued for its chemical properties and associated uses such as production of varnishes, dyes, wax and adhesives and food-glazing agents. It is also an important source of raw materials for organic synthesis and a constituent of incenses and perfumes. There are two main colours of lac red and white. The latter is considered premium variety.
PRODUCTION AREAS
Lac is produced mainly in India, which contributes up to 80 per cent of total global production, as also in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, China, Vietnam and Combodia. India produced 16,495 tonnes of lac in 2009-10, with Jharkhand producing about 42 per cent followed by Chhattisgarh (30 tonnes), Madhya Pradesh (15), West Bengal (5) and Maharashtra (3). Simdega (Jharkhand) district alone produced 3,145 tonnes.
DOWNWARD TREND
Lac production in India has been steadily going down from 23,229 tonnes in 2006-07 to 16,495 tonnes in 2009-10. While India exports lac worth Rs 12 crore, it also imports non-Indian varieties of lac worth nearly Rs 16 crore.
USES
Lac is harvested as sticklac, which is then processed to produce commercial grades called shellac, button lac, seedlac, bleached lac and lac dye. There are about 200 such units in India, 138 of them in West Bengal. The shellac variety has application in a number of industries such as wood finishing, printing ink, electric products, leather and footwear, pharmaceuticals, confectionary, fruit coating,cosmetics, paper varnish, photography, rubber, paint, grinding wheels,automobile, dentistry, waxes and dyes.
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