Lacquer is used in furniture paints, jewelry and cosmetics, shoe polish, nail polish, capsules, tablets, light bulbs, lacquer seals, and household weapons.
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Farmers from various eastern districts, including Dhankuta, have been earning income from commercial lacquer farming. Farmers who have traditionally been cultivating lacquer have recently started commercial farming.
Among them, Lalit Nembang, a farmer from Yanglikham village, Sangurigadhi rural municipality-3, Dhankuta, is one. Nembang said that 35 households in the village have been cultivating lacquer. Currently, lacquer is being sold for up to Rs 5.50 per kg. The farmer said that more than 1,000 kg of lacquer is being exported from Yanglikham village every year. ‘We are seeing a good future for lacquer farming,’ he said, ‘Although it started normally in the beginning, now we have increased our hopes.’
The Division Forest Office, Dhankuta, had expanded lacquer farming to six community forests in Chaubise and Sangurigadhi rural municipalities of the district last year. Seeing the attraction of farmers, cultivation has been expanded to Pakhribas and Mahalaxmi municipalities.
Forest Officer Dharmanath Yadav said that the Division Forest Office has planned the program after farmers started producing lacquer commercially. He said that last year, 26 thousand rupees were collected from the export of 5,000 kg of lacquer.
Lacquer is used in furniture colors, jewelry and beauty products, shoe polish, nail polish, capsules, tablets, electric bulbs, lacquer seals and household weapons. Yadav said that farmers' interest in this has increased as demand is increasing even at the international level.
Division Forest Officer Sanjiv Raj Dhakal said that the Division Forest Office has initiated various stages of training, interaction and plans due to the increased attraction of farmers. According to him, more plants for lacquer will be distributed in the coming months of Jestha and Asar. The technology was transferred to the farmers concerned last year.
Expanding to the Terai too
Farmers from the hills and the Terai are attracted to lacquer farming. Dambar Bishwakarma of Gaurahad, Jhapa, has been cultivating lacquer on rent since 2075 BS. He has also operated a Nirmal Chapra industry in Gaurahadha-2 and has employed 150 workers annually. He said that he has been providing employment to tie, untie, cut and process lacquer. He said that he has been leading lacquer farming and connecting other farmers to it. ‘I got into lacquer farming because I saw its future,’ he said, ‘On the one hand, it gives income, and on the other hand, it is important from an environmental point of view when planting plants.’
With the increase in demand for chapra produced from lacquer, Bishwakarma has been teaching farmers from Dhankuta, Bhojpur and Tehrathum to cultivate lacquer and purchasing it. He has been producing up to eight thousand kilos of lacquer produced in two seasons a year. According to him, up to 20-25 quintals have been produced annually from Koshi Province.
Bayer plant is considered the best for producing lacquer seeds. One kilo of lacquer is equivalent to five hundred grams of chapra. Colored lacquer is sold for seven to eight hundred, while Kusumi lacquer is sold for 1 thousand per kg, says Yadav, an officer of the Division Forest Dhankuta. He said that chapra is in short supply in the eastern market. Chapra is produced from lacquer, and resin, gum and pops are three products. There is a high demand for the said chapra in gold and furniture shops.
According to Utsav Thapa, Chief of the Morang Forest Office, Sangurigadhi and Chaubise Rural Municipality of Dhankuta are fertile lands for lacquer cultivation. He said that since Laha is multifaceted, the Koshi State government has launched a program to expand and promote its cultivation. He said that there is a plan to further expand it by encouraging farmers engaged in its cultivation.
Laha cultivation has been started in private, community and contractual forests in Bhojpur as well. The forest office has stated that Laha cultivation has been started for testing in three community and private forests of Arun rural municipality.
According to experts, Laha is a natural substance produced by a small insect that lives on tree branches and sucks the sap. Laha insects especially like to live on trees like Kusum, Palas, Khayar, and Bayar. Thapa, head of the Morang Forest Office, said that the parasite that completes its life cycle by attaching itself to the soft branches of trees and sucking the sap is called Laha. According to him, there are two types of insects: male and female. The male moth is up to 15 millimeters long with legs, eyes, and head. It is liver-colored.
After mating with the female, its mouth is crushed and it dies in two to three days because it cannot eat. Similarly, the female moth is 5 millimeters long and liver-colored. The female moth stays in one place throughout its life. Along with the life cycle of this insect, a thick layer of wax accumulates on the branches of trees. The wax is collected and processed and becomes marketable.
