A clear road map laid out for bee-farming will start ‘Sweet Revolution’ in India: Dr Abhilaksh Likhi

The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) in association with the National Bee Board organized a webinar on “Beekeeping – Honey: for increasing crop productivity, improving immunity and enhancing income” under the Webinar Series “Strategies for Doubling Farmers’ Income – Marching towards an income revolution of farmers”.

Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, appreciated the PHDCCI for organizing a webinar on a subject that is not only important for the growth of the horticulture sector but also has gauged the Prime Minister’s attention.

Likhi added that the Government had initiated a lot of innovative and technology-driven programmes, some of which are direct benefit transfer (DBT) to farmers, input subsidies through various schemes and minimum support price (MSP) to farmers.

He shared that India’s horticulture production had surpassed that of the agriculture sector in the last couple of years. However, he said, post-harvest management, cold-chain storage facilities, and warehousing facilities are challenging areas and the government is working towards strengthening these to ensure strong logistics for the agriculture and horticulture sector.

Throwing light on the introduction of the Rs 1-lakh-crore Agri Infrastructure Fund by the government, Likhi explained that the fund, apart from helping the public, private sector enterprises and farmers, would also help the agriculture entrepreneurs who were seeking funding for their start-ups or further growth.

He stated that the announcement of a package of Rs 500 crores by the Prime Minister showed the importance that the government laid to beekeeping. The government has a clear road map laid out for the growth of the beekeeping sector that will start a “sweet revolution”.

Likhi assured that the government was working closely with other associations to overcome the present challenges faced by the beekeeping stakeholders, such as lack of infrastructure, quality and well-kept testing labs, and would come up with more scientific and technology-driven testing.

Pradeep Multani, President, PHDCCI, mentioned that the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 had brought a major change in the focus of the agricultural sector from traditional production orientation to income orientation and created renewed interest among all major stakeholders in the country.

Beekeeping has been useful in the pollination of crops, thereby increasing the income of the farmers/beekeepers by way of increasing crop yield and providing honey and other high-value beehive products. The diversified agro-climatic conditions of India offer tremendous potential and opportunities for beekeeping/honey production and honey export.

Ajay Beri, Chair - Food Processing Committee, PHDCCI, said that beekeeping was a low-investment and skill-based Industry having the potential to offer direct employment. The sustainability of this industry is therefore vital to the country’s economic wellbeing and development.