On World Honey Day, CM offers incentives to beekeepers

DEHRADUN: On the occasion of World Honey Bee Day on Saturday, chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announced that the Uttarakhand government will start a quality control laboratory for ensuring good quality honey production in the state.

He added that the budget for the grants provided to beekeepers will be doubled from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The CM was speaking at a function organized to mark the day which was attended by bee-keepers from across the state. “We should promote the production of organic honey among beekeepers so that they get better returns,” the CM said.

Uttarakhand has 4,635 beekeepers and the state produces around 1,193 metric tonne of honey per year. However, experts said that the number of beekeepers in the state showed a downward trend in the past few years thus necessitating the need to offer incentives to the workers.

At present, in Haridwar, US Nagar, Nainital, Dehradun and Pauri districts of Uttarakhand the apis mellifera species of western honey bee is being reared while in the rest nine districts apis cerana indica or the Indian variety is reared.

Director of horticulture department, Dr B S Negi, said, “Honey farmers can reap benefit from the natural environment which is best suited for the Indian bee. In 2016-17, we formed 173 beekeepers’ groups and helped them technically and financially to bring them into bee farming.”

Due to the changing flora, lifestyle and less productivity, majority of beekeepers have shifted from the Indian variety to the western one as it produces more honey.

Meanwhile, the state has decided to start Rs 1 lakh loan at 2% interest from September 25 for which beekeepers will be eligible and given funds on priority, according to officials of the department.

Beekeepers present at the function asked the state government to waive off toll tax while transporting honeybee boxes to Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. “The state can at least waive of taxes at police check posts in BJP-led states,” Narendera Singh Rawat a farmer from Nainital said.
Explore the yearly horoscope 2025 for Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces zodiac signs. Spread love this holiday season with these New Year wishes, messages and quotes.