Shellac and Forest Products Export Promotion Council (SHEFEXIL)
Introduction:
SHEFEXIL was originally incorporated as SEPC (Shellac Export Promotion Council) 60 years ago, and this panel has been in special focus by the Council ever since. The main export products under this panel include Shellac, Seedlac, Buttonlac, Aleuritic Acid, Bleached Lac and others.
Lac and its associated products have managed to survive and create a niche market of their own, especially in western countries. Recent reports indicate that export destination for Indian lac is Indonesia, Germany and USA.
Mission:
- Strengthen plans and initiatives for exports of Non Timber Forest Produces
- Maximize India’s export potential through collective action
- Assist the members of the Council to boost exports and discharge their responsibilities and obligations under Foreign Trade Policy
Vision:
- To realize the full potential of |ndia’s Non Timber Forest Produce exports through collective action
- To create a global brand for Indian Non Timber Forest Produces
- To conceptualize plans and initiatives for Exports of Non Timber Forest Produces
- To turn exports of Non Timber Forest Produces as a tool for improving the lives of the poorer section of the population and develop the economically weaker sections of the society
- Boosting employment oriented Non Timber Forest Produce export stand ensuring infrastructure development in rural tribal areas
- To strengthen plans and initiatives for exports of Non Timber Forest Produces.
Reason behind the success of this forest-based commodity is due to a combination of strengths, which include:
- Ability to form films on various surfaces
- Electrical insulating properties
- Moulding properties
- Adhesive binding properties
- Flavourless, odourless and edible properties
- Decorative protective properties
- Medicinal properties
- Inflammable properties
- Ability to yield useful acids on hydrolysis
Applications of SHELLAC:
Pharmaceuticals – Shellac is used to coat enteric pills so that they do not dissolve in the stomach, but in the lower intestine, which alleviates upset stomachs. Its also used as a coating on pills to “time release” medication.
Confectionery – Shellac is used to provide protective candy coatings or glazes on candies like Reese’s Pieces, because of its unique ability to provide a high gloss in relatively thin coatings (like a French Polish). It was used at one time on M&M’s. It is approved by the FDA as a food safe coating when dissolved in pure ethanol (not denatured).
Hats – Shellac is used to stiffen felt used to make hats. It allows the makers to shape the felt into brims, bowl shapes, etc.
Food Coatings – Because of its FDA approval, shellac is used to coat apples and other fruits to make them shinier.
Electrical – Shellac mixed with marble dust is used by lamp manufacturers to glue the metal base to glass incandescent bulbs.
Other uses for shellac are in the manufacture of grinding wheels (it allows the abrasive particles to break off at the low heat generated by the grinding process, thus exposing new, fresh abrasive particles), leather finishing and painting (shellac pigmented with white titanium dioxide is widely used by painters as a stain sealer, wall board primer, and knot and sap sealer on wood).
Other former uses for shellac are electrical insulators, as a glue (it bonds glass and metal surprisingly well), phonograph records (the old 78’s were a mixture of shellac, fillers and lampblack), hair spray, no-rub floor polishes, and as a finish for bowling alleys (the weight of the ball dropping on the shellac surface did crack the finish).
Key Markets and Export Destinations:
India has been recording consistent growth in the export of NTFP over the last five years. It is the largest exporter of guar gum, sesame seeds and shellac, and the second largest exporter of medicinal plants in the world. India produces large volumes of NTFPs that are globally acknowledged for their quality. Moreover, NTFPs play a large role in contributing to the lives of millions of rural and forest-dependent poor people. Guar gum, vegetable saps and sesame seeds are some of the major export items. The main export destinations for guar gum are the US, China and Germany.
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