BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to bolster honey production, the State Government has made a five-year plan to promote establishment of bee hives and bee colonies in potential areas of Odisha.
As per the strategy, the Horticulture Department has made a comprehensive programme to produce 20,000 honey bee colonies with bee hives at an estimated expenditure of Rs 1.6 crore in next five years.
While it has been planned to develop 1,000 bee colonies and as many bee hives this year, 1,500 units will be set up in 2018-19 followed by 2,000 units in 2019-20, 2,500 units in 2020-21 and 3,000 units in 2021-22.
Sources said there is a need of 14.6 lakh bee colonies in Odisha. Of the existing 64,637 colonies, 64,127 are Indian bee colonies and the rest are Italian bee colonies. Bee keepers alleged that the production is hampered due to lack of proper pollination of crops.
Though Odisha is one of 10 medium potential States, it has not progressed remarkably under bee cultivation so far even as two nurseries under private sector and 11,725 honey bee colonies with hives have been established under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
Traditionally, the tribal people in the State are in the habit of collecting honey from the forest for food and medicine. They also eke out a living by selling the honey. Bee keeping as a livelihood mission was promoted by Khadi and Village Industries Commission.
A Horticulture Department official said with help of technology, apiculture can be taken up as a vocation for the economic development of tribals and farmers who are interested in bee keeping.
"Several measures have been taken to promote bee keeping in the State. Efforts are on for development of bee keeping and pollination enterprises which can help farmers earn more. It will also create employment opportunities for youths who can be engaged for construction of bee hives and colonies,’’ he said.
The Department has initiated steps for marketing of honey as a fast moving consumer good. Last year, the organic honey sourced from the sanctuary area of Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district was named as ‘Khairi’ after a domesticated tigress Khairi.
