Chouri-parta method of estimating seedlac yield from sticklac and scope of improvement

Abstract

Chouri-parta method of estimating seedlac yield from Sticklac is an old method practiced in lac industries/trade. In most of places, chouri-parta  is determined based on yield of golden seedlac (impurity-2% max.) obtained from samples of raw material taken through indigenous sampling method. The price of sticklac which is raw material for lac processing industries may be finalized and paid  to producer/ seller of raw material on the basis of yield of golden seedlac obtained and price of golden seedlac prevailing in market. Sticklac in lac processing industries has to first convert into a semi-refined product called seedlac through primary processing operations like crushing, washing drying, winnowing and grading for its further use in making different lac products like shellac, bleached lac, aleuritic acid, dewaxed decolourised lac etc. The raw material reaches to processing unit crop and season wise like aghani and jethwi for kusmi crop and baisakhi and katki for rangeeni crop mostly through middleman called arhatiya. It varied in terms of wooden material, impurity and to some aspect quality also which may results in different yield when converted into seedlac. This method of yield determination from a stick lac sample gives fair estimation of seedlac recovery agreed by both suppliers and buyers (processing industries) of sticklac when whole raw material of a lot will be converted in actual primary processing. Quite often the buyer manipulate to strike and chouri-parta rate generally in their favour so, lack of scientific method to determine the ‘chouri-parta’ content in sticklac is also of great concern. The present study has been carried out on this old and important chaori-parta method of estimating/determining seedlac yield practiced in lac industries for its advantages, limitation and scope of improvement in this old process.