Consider the following statements about lac production in India:

1. Jharkhand is the highest producer of lac in India, followed by Madhya Pradesh.

2. India’s lac exports have increased since the 1950s.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Lac resin was once imported in sizeable quantity into Europe from India, along with the Eastern woods.

It has been seen that lac is mostly cultivated by poor tribals to supplement their agricultural income. Lac cultivation in India is mainly confined to the states of Jharkhand, which contributes 57% of the total production, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 24% and the balance 19% is contributed by Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal. This cultivation has proved to be a subsidiary source of income for the tribals.

In the mid-1950s, Indian annual production was about 50, 000 tonnes of stick lac and export about 29,000 tonnes of lac. By the late 1980s, the figures were about 12,000 tonnes and 7,000 tonnes respectively. However, during 1992-93, Indian lac exports fell further to 4,500 tonnes only. On the contrary, during the same period, countries like Thailand and China were able to increase their lac exports. Presently, Indian lac export is almost non-existent, which needs to be revived.