The buzz: India for ‘Honey Revolution’

New Delhi, September 28

After White Revolution and Blue Revolution, the country is now eyeing ‘Honey Revolution’. Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar today launched “single-flower Amul honey” that has passed “strict laboratory quality testing” while 100 FPO (farmer producer organisation) clusters are being set up to identify and aggregate beekeepers and stakeholders.

Boost to bee-keeping

100 FPO clusters are being set up across country, including Punjab (Patiala, Ludhiana and Bathinda) | Haryana (Hisar, Y’nagar)| HP (Solan, Chamba) | J&K (Pulwama, Kupwara, Ramban and Baramulla)

Quality control

• 5 major laboratories & 100 mini-honey testing labs are being established to check the quality of honey
• Rs500 cr allocated for national beekeeping and honey mission

Speaking on the occasion, Tomar said the Centre had implemented several policy changes for strengthening the economic condition of the agriculture sector, especially that of small farmers.

“With the arrival of ‘Amul honey’ in the market, the cooperative sector will be further strengthened. Better marketing of honey will result in better prices to farmers. Improvement in the quality and branding of honey will result in an increase in exports, and add to the contribution of the agriculture sector to the foreign exchange reserves,” Tomar said. According to National Bee Board Executive Director Navin Patle, a honey-testing laboratory has been set up in Gujarat under the National Mission on Beekeeping and Honey. “Honey-testing laboratories are also being established in Delhi and Bangalore. The quality of honey produced by FPOs will be assured through proper testing,” he said.

In order to identify and aggregate beekeepers and other stakeholders, 100 FPO clusters are being set up across the country, including Punjab (Patiala, Ludhiana and Bathinda), Haryana (Hisar and Yamunanagar), Himachal Pradesh (Solan and Chamba) and J&K (Pulwama, Kupwara, Ramban and Baramulla), Patle said.

“The Centre has allocated Rs 500 crore for the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission from the current financial year (2020-2021) to 2022-2023,” he explained, adding that work is also being done on the possibilities of connecting beekeeping with dairy cooperatives and unions.

“There is a huge scope in honey production given its immense health benefits. Honey production in India increased from 76,150 MT in 2013-14 to 1,25,000 MT in 2020-21 and export from 28,378.42 MT in 2013-14 to 59,999 MT in 2020-21. NAFED has also developed 14 honey corners in its stores and the trend will continue,” he said

Patle says the groundwork for the FPO formation should be complete within six months. “Implementing agencies NAFED, NDDB and TRIFED, which will do paperwork, handholding, etc, have been given the target to identify and aggregate beekeepers and stakeholders. Beekeepers will have the choice of flower/plant they want to use for making honey,” Patle added.

Meanwhile the Centre has established Madhukranti Portal for online registration to find the source of honey as well as other beehive products. Sixteen Integrated Beekeeping Development Centres in various states will serve as role models for beekeeping, officials said. — TNS