The story
Purulia's forests of palash, kusum and ber trees host the lac insect, and tribal families have long cultivated and collected lac. Jhalda became a centre for processing sticklac into seedlac and shellac, much of it for export. Lac of Purulia is now a GI-registered natural product.
In numbers
The shellac manufacturing cluster in Purulia had a turnover of Rs. 105 crore and employment of 1,517.
Brief Industrial Profile of Purulia District, MSME-DI Kolkata, Ministry of MSME · 2012
GI tag
- Lac of PuruliaApplication no. Application No. 876Registration details of Geographical Indications (state-wise register), IP India
Ways in for a newcomer
- Buy sticklac from cultivators and process seedlac
- Make value-added products (varnish, food glaze, lac bangles)
- Supply brood lac and training to growers
Problems the cluster faces
- Lac yield swings with weather and host-tree loss
- Competition from synthetic resins
- Old processing technology
Businesses to start here
Lac Production →Shellac Varnish (French Polish) Making →Shellac Insulating Varnish (Air-Drying) →Gasket Shellac Compound (Gasket Cement) →Lac Bangle Making →