Bee-yond expectations: Fatehabad woman turns tradition into thriving honey enterprise

In Khajuri Jatti village of Bhuna tehsil in Fatehabad district, 34-year-old Meenakshi Poonia Bishnoi has quietly built a successful honey business, demonstrating how traditional farming practices can be transformed into modern rural enterprises.

Born into a farming family, Meenakshi grew up seeing agriculture as the primary source of livelihood. Her family owned around one-and-a-half acres of fertile land, sufficient for crops but offering limited income. Like many rural households in Haryana, they also practiced beekeeping, though only on a modest scale.

Nearly two decades ago, her father-in-law, Jagdish Chand Poonia, began beekeeping with just 10 boxes. While the early results were encouraging, the activity remained a side occupation and never expanded. In the region, beekeeping was largely viewed as a traditional practice rather than a viable commercial venture.

Meenakshi, however, saw potential in this overlooked activity. With rising concerns over food adulteration, she sensed a growing demand for pure, natural products. Honey, she believed, could meet this demand if produced honestly and marketed directly to consumers.

With the support of her husband, Parveen Poonia, she decided to revive and scale up the family’s beekeeping work. The couple invested time in learning improved techniques and managing the enterprise more systematically. Gradually, the number of bee boxes grew to over 200, now home to more than three million bees.

Each season, the bees produce over 200 buckets of natural honey. Collected from open agricultural fields in Fatehabad’s rural surroundings, the honey is produced without chemicals or artificial additives. Meenakshi says this natural process forms the foundation of her product’s quality.

To reach a wider market, she turned to social media and online platforms — still a rarity in many villages. By communicating directly with customers, she built trust and a loyal buyer base. Orders soon began arriving not only from Fatehabad and neighbouring districts but also from distant cities. Dealers from places such as Malerkotla also purchase raw honey from her for further supply.

Priced at around Rs 500 per kilogram, the honey often sells out quickly. According to Meenakshi, its rural identity and assured purity have become its strongest selling points.

In the past year alone, the business earned profits running into several lakh rupees. Her annual income has now crossed Rs 10 lakh and continues to grow steadily. “We do not mix anything in our honey,” she says. “That honesty is our biggest strength.”

Snehlata, a women and child development project officer, says women in rural Haryana are increasingly moving beyond household roles. “With education, training and government support schemes, women are turning to self-employment and small businesses. The success of Meenakshi Poonia from Khajuri Jatti village shows that rural women can achieve financial independence with the right mindset and hard work,” she said.

Today, Meenakshi is known in Fatehabad not just as a farmer’s daughter-in-law, but as a rural entrepreneur. Her journey illustrates how traditional skills, combined with modern thinking, can create sustainable livelihoods — even from limited land.

Meenakshi Poonia Bishnoi said each season, the bees produce over 200 buckets of natural honey.