In a bid to make it a profitable venture for farmers, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has given his consent to the Forest Department's proposal to include lac farming in agriculture.
The Chief Minister has instructed the Agriculture, Forest and Cooperative departments to present a proposal with mutual coordination in the next cabinet meeting 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 its production will be able to avail easy loans via co-operative committees.
Chhattisgarh has boundless opportunities for lac farming. Lac cultivation is being practiced in the state in 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 against their investments.
The Forest Department had urged the Chief Minister to include lac farming under agriculture and provide opportunities to its farmers to take loans.