India is the largest producer of lac in the world, catering to over 70 per cent of the global demand.
Lac is found in the belt that stretches from Maharashtra to West Bengal with Jharkhand as the top producer, followed by Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra.
Lac dye has been used since ancient times in India and neighbouring areas as wood finish, lacquerware, skin cosmetic, and for wool and silk.
In China, it is used as traditional dye for leather goods. Synthetic dyes are seen as replacement for lac in dye though it still remains in use in some juices, carbonated drinks, wine, jam, sauce, and candy for colour.
Lac is used in folk medicine as a hepatoprotective and anti-obesity drug.
In Chhattisgarh, traditionally lac is cultivated with nearly 50,000 farmers rearing it on kusum and plum trees and rangini lac on palash and plum trees.
At present, nearly 4,000 tonnes of lac are produced in the state, and its estimated value is Rs 100 crore.
The target is to help farmers generate Rs 250 crore by increasing lac production to 10,000 tonnes in the state. If the state government achieves the target, it would be the largest producer of lac in the country.
Jharkhand’s output is about 9,000 tonnes.
“For this (to achieve the target), a decision has been taken to provide lac crop loans with no interest,” a state government spokesperson said.
Under the scheme, a loan limit of Rs 5,000 per tree has been set for the nutritious kusum tree, Rs 900 for the plum tree, and Rs 500 for the palash tree that helps in rearing lac.
A training centre has been opened in Kanker by the State Minor Forest Produce Federation.
The spokesperson said arrangements had been made by the federation to ensure an adequate supply of Bihan lac (in the form of seeds) to the farmers and interest-free crop loans.
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