Special Initiative to Encourage Farmers to Cultivate Lac in Chhattisgarh

• 08 Nov 2022

Why in News?

• According to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on November 7, 2022, according to the instructions of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, special initiatives are being taken by the state government in Chhattisgarh to encourage farmers to cultivate lac and increase their income.

Key Points

• In compliance of this, necessary arrangements have been made by Chhattisgarh State minor forest produce association with assistance for supply and sale of beehan lac/lac and availability of lac crop loan.
• In order to successfully implement the scheme in the state and increase lac production, lac production clusters have also been formed by adding 3 to 5 primary committee areas in 20 district unions.
• Under this, information about the demand of farmer-wise beehan lac will be taken by conducting a survey in every lac production cluster. In these, the farmers will have to deposit the total amount required to supply the beehan lac at the price fixed by the union in advance in the district union account.
• Under this, the deadline for receiving demand from farmers for Rangini Beehan Lakh is fixed before November 10. In this, the deadline for depositing the amount from the farmers is fixed till November 15. In these, the deadline for receiving the demand from the farmers for Kusumi Beehan Lac is before November 30 and till December 15 for depositing the amount.
• In order to overcome the shortage of beehan lac in the state, the purchase rate has been fixed to purchase the beahan lac available with the farmers at a reasonable price. Under this, the purchase rate payable to the farmers for Kusumi Beehan Lac (obtained from Plum Tree) is fixed at Rs 550 per kg and for Rangini Beehan Lac (obtained from Palash Tree), the purchase rate payable to farmers is fixed at Rs 275 per kg.
• Similarly, the selling rate has also been fixed to provide beehan lac to the farmers. Under this, the selling rate payable to farmers for Kusumi Beehan Lac (obtained from Plum Tree) is fixed at Rs 640 per kg and for Rangini Beehan Lac (obtained from Palash Tree), the selling rate payable to farmers is fixed at Rs 375 per kg.
• In order to encourage farmers to cultivate lac, arrangements have been made by the state government to provide lac crop loans with free interest through the District Cooperative Bank. Under this, a loan limit of Rs 5,000 per tree has been fixed on nutritious tree Kusum, Rs 900 on plum and Rs 500 per tree on Palash for rearing lacs.
• A training centre has been opened in Kanker by the State Minor Forest Produce Association to carry out lac rearing in a scientific manner. The centre is also providing on farm training in lac production clusters along with 3 days institutional training.
• Kusum tree is very suitable in the summer season for good cultivation of lac rearing, but in the rainy season, the berry tree is suitable for kusumi lac rearing. Therefore, additional income can be obtained by taking 2 crops in a year by planting sweet plum in areas covered with kusum trees. In view of this, efforts are being made by the Forest Department to plant sweet plum on a large scale on the grass and private land of the farmers in kusum rich areas in the state.
• In order to increase lac rearing in the state, young members of tendu leaf collector family, who are 12th passed, are being selected as 'Vandhan Mitra' and used on reasonable honorarium in lac farmer survey, training, beehan lac system and crop loan delivery etc. At present, about 200 Vandhan Mitras (lacs) are providing their services to lacs of farmers in various district unions.
• It is worth mentioning that lac is traditionally cultivated in different districts of the state and about 50 thousand farmers follow Kusumi Lac on Kusum and Plum trees, Palash and Ber trees.
• The state currently produces 4,000 tonnes of lac, with an estimated value of Rs 100 crore. The target is to increase the lac production in the state to 10 thousand tonnes and give an income of Rs 250 crore to the farmers. For this, an important decision has been taken to give lac crop loans with free interest to lac rearing farmers.
• Due to the decline in lac production across the country, the market rate of Kusumi Lac has increased from Rs. 300 to Rs 900 per kg at present. This is increasing the trend of farmers to increase lac farming.