Abstract

The lac industry in India has been drawing much attention in recent years, firstly on account of the "boom" which the industry enjoyed in the post-war period, when fabulously high prices prevailed and a great demand for lac existed which exporters were unable to meet, and secondly, on account of the crisis through which the indu- stry has been passing during the last few years, owing to trade depres- sion and low prices. Probably, no other industry in India is in such a disorganised state, in respect of cultivation and production as well as of marketing and industrial utilisation; and this, in spite of the fact that India holds the world monopoly in this important raw material. The object of the present article is to point out the importance of encouraging the utilisation of lac within the country itself, in the manufacture of various lac products, for which more technical skill than large capital is necessary, so that a demand for lac within the country may be created and, coupled with an organisation among exporting agencies for the proper regulation and control of the lac export market, the Indian lac industry may be placed on a stable basis, without having to depend for its outlet wholly on the export-trade, which has resulted in the past in speculation, unhealthy manipulation and violent fluctuations.

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