HERALD: The Government of India has recently injected Rs 500 crore to boost bee-keeping in India. How will it help the country?
V K SAXENA: The Rs 500 crore package, announced with the prime objective of increasing farmers’ and beekeepers’ income, will also achieve multiple intermediate goals like increase in honey production, growing India’s farm yield and maintaining the ecological balance through cross-pollination. The special package will boost local production, increase self-employment and contribute towards ‘Sweet Kranti’ (sweet revolution).
The special allocation will become the perfect launch pad for ‘Sweet Kranti’ in the country and will open up multiple job opportunities in fields such as manufacturing of bee boxes, bee hive tools, rearing of bee colonies and honey processing units.
This will also push India up among the top three honey producing countries in the world soon. At present, India ranks eighth among honey producing countries of the world.
HERALD: Is Goa suitable for this business? Why?
VKS: Goa is situated in midst of the rich bio-diversity. There are several fruit crops like jackfruit, pomegranate, cashew nuts, coconut, grapes, guava, chikoo, pineapple, papaya, drumstick, Jamun, etc. Apart from fruits, several types of vegetables are also produced in Goa. These fruit and vegetable crops and the wild flora fauna in the Western Ghats can provide ample quantity of pollen and nectar to the bees throughout the year. Hence, Goa is quite suitable for beekeeping activities. The only precaution which needs to be taken by the beekeepers in the state is to ensure that the bee boxes are kept away from the high-velocity wind particularly in areas close to the sea.
HERALD: How will KVIC help Goa, especially those individuals who may wish to take up this as a profession?
VKS: The Khadi and Village Industries Commission, (KVIC) in association with the Government of Goa, has launched beekeeping initiatives last year in the State. On a trial basis, 140 bee boxes were given to 14 local farmers in villages like Morjim, Old Goa, Bicholim and Dabhal. These bee boxes are working perfectly. This itself proves that Goa is suitable for beekeeping. The KVIC has big plans to set up honey clusters in Goa under which a cluster of 100 to 500 beneficiaries is set up with a common facility centre (CFC) to provide support for skill development, technical knowhow, quality control, certification and processing of by-products. It also provides a perfect atmosphere and platform to the beneficiaries to market their products. Due to lockdown, the process has been delayed. The KVIC state office in Goa has been directed to start the process soon. This will also create sustainable employment in the State.
HERALD: How much investment will be required by a farmer to develop this business? Is there any scheme which can help them?
VKS: The KVIC is the nodal agency for implementation of the “Scheme for Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries” (SFURTI) of the Ministry of MSME. Under the scheme, the KVIC is planning to establish clusters for the Honey Mission in Goa. Under the SFURTI Scheme, the KVIC provides funds from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2.5 crore through Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)/ Self Help Groups (SHG), registered societies, cooperative societies and producer companies in which their investment will be just 10 per cent. Remaining 90 per cent of the fund is provided as Grant-in-Aid (GiA) to the developer by KVIC. A cluster of 100 to 500 artisans is developed for providing employment to farmers, women, unemployed youths and Adivasis by roping them with beekeeping and allied activities. Further, under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), farmers can approach KVIC for setting up apiary in which 25-35 per cent subsidy is provided by the KVIC depending upon the location of the unit.
HERALD: Marketing and bottling of the final product may be a challenge. Who can help these farmers?
VKS: The good-quality honey is always in short-supply. When a honey cluster is established under the SFURTI scheme; entire services including honey processing unit, bottling, labeling etc are also provided at the common facility centre. Further, funds for full-time Cluster Development Executive (CDE), is also provided for three years to look after the implementation and marketing of the products.
HERALD: What additional benefit can a farmer get by undertaking this business?
VKS: Beekeeping is a very lucrative business that requires zero physical labour for the beekeepers as all the work is done by the bees. Honeybees not only provide honey but also provide high-value products like wax, pollen, royal jelly, propolis and bee venom, etc these products command a much higher price in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Multiplication of bee colonies and migration of bee boxes is another field where a beekeeper earns handsomely. The raw honey is sold from Rs 100 per kg to Rs 800 per kg depending upon its quality. The wax and pollen, on the other hand, sells at Rs 600 and Rs 1200 per kg respectively. Royal Jelly and Bee Venom are priced the highest at Rs 25,000 per kg and Rs 1 crore per kg respectively.
HERALD: How can bee attacks be minimised and what precautions need to be undertaken?
VKS: Honeybees are silent workers and little-known for attacking humans. They are gifted with a unique sense of judgment of whether they face any threat from humans or not. They make a decision to defend themselves only when harmed. Honeybees are human-friendly. During the beekeeping training program, farmers and beekeepers are taught the basics of honey extraction using specific tools so as to minimise any conflict between the bees and the humans.
HERALD: What role has the KVIC played in the Honey Mission in India?
VKS: The growth of beekeeping industry will enhance the farm produce in the country and ultimately increase the income of farmers and beekeepers. In just less than three years, the KVIC distributed over 1.33 lakh bee boxes across the length and breadth of the country.