Haryana promotes bee-keeping to boost honey production

Haryana Agriculture Department is making all-out efforts to promote the age-old tradition of bee-keeping and step up honey production as prime agri-horticultural and forest-based industry.

An official spokesman today said the promotion of bee-keeping would also help generate self-employment opportunities for the unemployed youth in the state. With this end in view, it had been planned to organise bee-keeping training camps in all districts of the state.

About 50 farmers would be provided training in bee-keeping, the spokesman said and added that a grant of Rs 16,000 would be provided to each trained farmer for the supply of bee-colonies and bee-hives. The trained farmers could also get loans from banks and a grant of 30-35 per cent from the Khadi Boards and Khadi Commissions. Haryana accountS for the production of about 1,800 tonnes of honey and has 1,800 bee farmers and 92,000 bee-colonies in the state.

''The production of honey in India is low as compared to China which is the highest producer and exports about 80,000 tonnes of honey annually as compared to India's 7,000 tonnes. The consumption of honey is also very low in India,'' he said. India, he said, produced only 27,000 tonnes a year and only about 20 to 25 per cent bees are exploited. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal were the major honey producing states.

''Honey offers sweet base for a number of medicines and the bee venom is used in many pharmaceutical applications, especially those meant for curing rheumatic diseases. A natural dehydrant, it is excellent for those on slimming diets, and, as a proven anti-ageing agent and natural rejuvenator, honey has no equal,'' he added.

-- (UNI) -- 05DR67.xml

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