E-Paper
Lac cultivation to be given status of agriculture: Chhattisgarh CM Baghel
The CM instructed Agriculture, Forest and Cooperative departments to present a proposal in the next meeting of the cabinet to include lac and other such profit-yielding produce in agriculture.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday okayed the forest department’s proposal to declare lac farming as an agricultural activity, saying it would make it a profitable endeavour for farmers.
The CM instructed Agriculture, Forest and Cooperative departments to present a proposal in the next meeting of the cabinet to include lac and other such profit-yielding produce in agriculture.
“Once lac farming gets the status of agriculture in the state, farmers associated with lac production would also be able to avail easy loans through co-operative committees like other farmers,” a senior government official said.
Chhattisgarh is one of the leading producers of lac in the country.
“Lac cultivation is being practised by the farmers on Kusum, Palash and Berry trees in a traditional manner. But due to lack of modern and systematic way of farming, farmers fail to derive the expected profit. In a move to make lac cultivation profitable for farmers, the forest department while suggesting the CM to include lac farming under agriculture and provide opportunities to lac growing farmers to avail loans through agricultural cooperative committees like other farmers, had requested him to accept the proposal sent in this regard,” said a government press release.
Lac is the resinous secretion of a number of species of lac insects. Thousands of lac insects colonise the branches of the host trees and secrete the resinous pigment.
