Page 9 - Bankable Projects - IINRG, Ranchi

1. Introduction

Non Wood Forest Products (NWFPs) are the outcome
of tribal tradition of conserving and propagating it.
About 200 million people of our country rely for their
livelihood on superb fauna-flora endowment in their
propinquity. Banks including special branches for
agricultural development are coming forward to cater
the needs of agriculturists and landless agricultural
labourers for agri-finance through a network of
rural and semi-urban branches. These branches have
covered a whole gamut of agricultural activities like
crop production, horticulture, plantation crops, farm
mechanization, land development and reclamation,
digging of wells, tube wells and irrigation projects,
forestry, construction of cold storages and godowns,
processing of agri-products, finance to agri-input
dealers, allied activities like dairy, fisheries, poultry, sheep-goat, piggery and
rearing of silk worms.
To give special focus to lac cultivation financial support needs to be provided
to the cultivators for very small activities covering poorest of the poor to hi-
tech activities involving large fund outlay. Recently, Government of India has
initiated the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 11 NWFPs including lac as
marketing strategy on the top priority to boost up the sector. Lac cultivation is an
eco-friendly venture and has vast scope in international export market as well
as carbon trading. Various small scale lac based industries such as button lac
preparation, bangle making, sealing wax manufacturing, polishing etc. are means
of livelihood for thousands of people. Resin is a hydrocarbon secretion of several
plants, particularly coniferous trees as well as lac insect. Natural resins are solid
or semi-solid materials, usually a complex mixture of organic compounds called Bankable Projects
terpenes, which are insoluble in water but soluble in certain organic solvents.
Solidified resin from which the volatile terpene components have been removed
by distillation is known as rosin. Resins are valued for their chemical properties
and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives and glazing
agents. They are also prized as an important source of raw material for organic
synthesis, and as constituents of incense and perfume. This group of natural
resins includes lac secreted by an insect Kerria lacca (Kerr.) and plant originated
products like rosin, copal and dammer. Lac cultivation practices include various
labour intensive activities. Land preparation, purchase of broodlac, FYM,

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