Indian Lac Research Institute, Ranchi—834 010, Jharkhand
The trend and variation in prices of lac in important markets of West Bengal have been analysed. The secondary data on monthly average prices of lac at primary, secondary and terminal markets have been collected from the Annual Lac Bulletin, for a period of 10 years, from 1989–90 to 1999–2000. A positive trend has been shown by the trend equation of rangeeni lac price during the study period which has been found statistically significant also at one per cent probability level for all the three levels of market. Growth rates of rangeeni lac prices at growers, assembling centres, manufacturing centres and Kolkata market have been found as 6.18, 6.50, 6.78 and 6.69 per cent per annum, respectively. The price increase per month has been observed higher at the manufacturing centres and Kolkata market than at the growers and assembling centres. Seasonality of rangeeni lac prices has shown almost a similar pattern at all the levels of market. Two peaks in prices have been observed at the growers, assembling centres and manufacturing centres. Intra-year price variation has been found more at the growers and assembling centres than at the manufacturers and Kolkata market. No regular cycle has been observed in the rangeeni lac prices during the study period. The seasonality in prices can be reduced by sustained production and networking of lac production in various lac-growing regions of the country.
