After ‘White & Blue Revolutions’ India aims at ‘Honey Revolution'
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 28
After ‘White Revolution’ and ‘Blue Revolution’ India is now aiming at ‘Honey Revolution’ with Agriculture Minister, Narendra Tomar today launching “single flower Amul honey passed under strict laboratory quality testing ” and 100 Farmer Producer Organisations of honey producers across the country to aggregate beekeepers and stakeholders.
Speaking on the occasion Tomar said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Centre has implemented several policy changes for strengthening the economic condition of the agriculture sector, especially 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 honey prices to honey producing farmers. Improvement in the quality and branding of honey will result in an increase in exports and increase 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 for testing quality and other related works 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 being set up under the mission will all be assured through proper testing to ensure that consumers get quality product,” he said
In order to identify and aggregate beekeepers and other stakeholders, 100 FPO clusters are being set across the country including in 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 for the current financial year (2020-2021) to the financial year 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 28378.42 MT in 2013-14 to 59,999 MT in 2020-21. NAFED has also developed 14 honey corners in its stores and this trend will continue,” he said
Patle says the groundwork for 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 achieve the traceability source of honey as well as other beehive products on the digital platform and help in checking the quality and the source of adulteration of honey. As role models for beekeeping 16 Integrated Beekeeping Development Centers have been started in different states, officials said.
