Tuesday 14 February 2017

Team at work - Lac Cultivation and Skills Development

             
               Hariyare Ashra team at work in the semialata garden at Dunabari BTC July 2015

     Awareness program on Lac cultivaton at Lungsung village BTC may 2016

Field Training at IINRG Ranchi May 2016

Training review meeting with the training participants at Bengtol BTC, June 2016

                           Women inoculating brood lac at Sonapur January 2017

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Introduction to Hariyare Ashra

Hariyare Ashra is a start up NGO, based in Assam.

Hariyare Ashra wants to make a source of livelihood for the poor tribal farmers through lac cultivation. Lac cultivation does not at any point destroy the forest, or the host tree, rather it looks after the tress and the tree looks after the farmer by providing lac.

Lac is natural, renewable, biodegradable, versatile, harmless and non toxic resin. There is a very good increase in demand for lac worldwide due to its usages in different forms and in different industries namely pharmaceutical, cosmetics, varnish, food coating, electrical to name a few. 

The R&D pilot projects of Hariyare Ashra is located  in BTAD. These sites are in the villages of Chirang District,  namely Deosri, Mohanpur, Shantipur, Ranikhata, Gurubasha, Dunabari, Palasguri, and Bolumguri. The plantation of host tress have started and to certain extent the inoculation is also done.

A larger scope of Agro and Farming activities will be initiated and developed very soon. At present Hariyare Ashra is working on Lac cultivation through its affiliated farmers. The members of Hariyare Ashra are trained for Lac cultivation at the National Institute of Indian Institute of Natural Resins & Gums (IINRG) Ranchi.

The affiliated farmers will be given technical support, along with seeds of semialata plant and kusum tree Galuwang (Albizialebbeck) which are host plants and trees, for nursery and expand the cultivation.

North East and Assam in particular, has abundance of host trees on the river beds. The host tree that grows on the river bed is the ber tree (zymythus mauritiana). Ber tree is also available in and around the houses in the villages. These trees remain untapped for its resources.

Only 18000 metric tones of lac is produced in India and yet makes India the principal lac producing country of the world. About 85% of the countries production is exported to Germany, USA, and Egypt in form of button lac, seed lac, dewaxed lac, bleached lac and aleuritic acid.

North East India possesses a huge potential for lac culture. There are vast areas which are ecologically favourable for lac host trees, which if tapped and cultivated scientifically, is liable to enhance and multiply lac production. The work must be done with the farmers who needs to be trained and supported.

While enhancing production, quality needs equal emphasis to meet the National and International demand. The quality of lac suffers due to untimely harvesting, lack of appropriate storage, primary processing soon after harvesting and lack of appropriate processing machines for quality and recovery.

IINRG, Namkum, Ranchi established in 1924 is actively engaged in addressing the objective of enhancing lac productivity and production through transfer and adoption of proven technologies by interfacing research, development and extension. The Institute has developed various technologies and cultivation packages. By implementing and adopting the scientific method of cultivation, proper host plant management, integrated pest management, enhancing exploitation of unexploited host plants, and cultivation through ‘Joint Forest Management’ programme, the lac production can be enhanced in future.

Hariyare Ashra has  taken the initiative of enhancing the lac culture in North East of India and to tap the natural resources, with the aim of promoting livelihood and a source of additional income generation for the poor tribal farmers in North East.

Hariyare Ashra has a noble aim of generating employment for women in particular, by setting up in the processing units for lac.

Do help us to reach out to the farmers and the women in North East.

Hariyare Ashra may be contacted by email to its Secretary at hariyareashra@gmail.com

Some on site photographs .....






Sunday 24 January 2016

Potential of India in Lac Cultivation

Hariyare Ashra is a start-up NGO based in Assam. Its pilot projects are situated in Chirang District near village Deosri and in Kamrup District in Sonapur.

Whereas a larger scope of Agro & Farming activities will be initiated and developed in time to come, at the present time the NGO is working on Lac Cultivation through its affiliated farmers.

Hariyare Ashra may be contacted by email to its Secretary at hariyareashra@gmail.com

The Lac Opportunity


Now-a-days, there is increased stress on use of eco-friendly and safe material particularly associated with human contact and consumption. Lac is natural, renewable, biodegradable, versatile and non toxic resin. Thus, a very good increase in demand for lac worldwide is envisaged. The envisaged objective of enhancing lac production has relevance and importance. It is a source of livelihood of tribal and poor inhabiting forest and sub forest areas.

India is the principal lac producing country of the world, producing approximately 18,000 metric tones of unrefined raw lac annually. About 85% of the country's production is exported to various countries. The USA, Germany and Egypt are some of the major lac importing countries of the world. Export of lac from India is in the form of shellac / button lac, seed lac, dewaxed lac, bleached lac and Aleuritic acid.

India has great potential for lac culture. The areas for lac cultivation can be broadly classified into three categories :

(a) Regular lac cultivation areas – at present, only 20-25% of the total available trees are being utilized,
(b) Moderate lac cultivation areas – around 10-15% available trees are being utilized, and
(c) Lac host trees are available but due to lack of knowledge and awareness, none of the trees are utilized for lac cultivation.

Thus, on an average, only 15% of the available lac host trees owned by farmers are being utilized for lac cultivation presently. There are vast untapped areas, which are ecologically favourable for lac production in the country. These areas possess the potential lac host plants which if exploited properly in scientific and systematic manner is liable to enhance the lac production. Enhancing the exploitation of the idle or unexploited lac host plants in favorable lac growing areas can also enhance the lac production.

Indian Lac Research Institute (ICAR), Namkum, Ranchi established in 1924 is actively engaged in addressing the objective of enhancing lac productivity and production through transfer and adoption of proven technologies by interfacing research, development and extension. The Institute has developed various technologies and cultivation packages. By implementing and adopting the scientific method of cultivation, proper host plant management, integrated pest management, enhancing exploitation of unexploited host plants, and cultivation through ‘Joint Forest Management’ programme, the lac production can be enhanced in future.

While enhancing production quality needs equal emphasis to meet the National and International demand. The quality of lac suffers due to following reasons like untimely harvesting, lack of appropriate storage, primary processing soon after harvesting and lack of appropriate processing machines for quality and recovery.

These problems may be addressed by adopting recommended technologies developed by the Indian Lac Research Institute (ICAR).