: With the rise in demand for honey in the domestic market, beekeeping has become a greatly rewarding enterprise, said Shaji Daniel, Horticorp resource person.
Mr. Daniel, who led a district-level training programme on beekeeping organised by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Peruvannamuzhi, said it should be undertaken after obtaining proper training. Honey is a natural sweetener with a blend of sugar, enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids, etc. According to Mr. Daniel, it takes about 60,000 bees, collectively travelling up to 55,000 miles and visiting more than 2 million flowers, to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey. Through beekeeping, one can help honey bees to collect more honey into a harvestable form and thereby make it a lucrative business, he said.
Speaking at different sessions of the three-day training programme, which concluded on Thursday, Mr. Daniel described in detail about different species of honeybees, their behaviour, bee colony maintenance, significance of beekeeping, pest and disease management in apiary (a place where bees are kept in several beehives). He also explained the business possibilities of different by-products, including bee wax, propolis and royal jelly, of beekeeping.
More than 20 persons, including rural youth, farmers and business personnel from different parts of the district, attended the programme. Practical sessions as part of the training were conducted on the KVK campus at Peruvannamuzhi. An exposure visit to the apiary at the District Agricultural Farm at Koothali was also arranged as part of the programme. “It immensely helped the participants to understand the finer details of beekeeping,” said K K Aiswariya, subject matter specialist (Plant Protection) of KVK.
Interacting with the participants, P. Rathakrishnan, programme coordinator of KVK, highlighted the importance of beekeeping and the need to identify pure honey from adulterated varieties of honey. The participants, who were provided training materials, were issued participation certificates after the event. Those who successfully complete the training are also eligible for obtaining beehives and other accessories to start the business at 40 per cent subsidy from Horticorp, said Ms. Aiswariya. Details can be had from the KVK office. Ph: 0496 2666041.
