National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Chennai celebrated World Honey Bee day on 7 June 2019 to highlight the significant role played by honey bees in agriculture and food security.

NABARD is extending financial support to many NGOs for the implementation of Tribal Development Projects where honey bee keeping is one of the important livelihood activities. Hence a programme was organised by NABARD with participation of the NGO partners to mark the occasion.

While delivering the key note address, Smt. Padma Raghunathan, Chief General Manager highlighted the importance of bee keeping as a livelihood activity and the significant role of Honey bees in agriculture including generation of additional income to the farmers. She also told that a book on Bee keeping in Tamil is being prepared by NABARD which will be shortly released.

Shri.K Rajeswara Rao, Ex. Bureaucrat and now Advisor, Economic Advisory Council to the Hon. Prime Minister, highlighted the initiatives of the Centre in the promotion of Bee keeping and recalled how the Prime Minister, while reviewing the shortage in pulses production, discussed with passion the role of honey bees in agricultural production.

Dr. M.R.Srinivasan, Professor and Head, Department of Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Tirunelveli made a presentation on Honey Bee- Development of Value chain. He explained how bees give us honey and other useful products like Royal Jelly, Bee pollen, Beeswax, bee venom etc., in addition to increase in the yields of fruits, vegetables, oil seeds and pulses. He also indicated that in India, Uttar Pradesh stands first in honey production with 17,200 tonnes during 2017-18 followed by West Bengal (16,000 tones) and Punjab (15,200 tonnes).

As per National Honey Board data, the honey production has increased steadily from 51,000 MT during 2006-07 to 115,000 MT during 2018-19. Per capita honey consumption is as low as 20 grams in India as Indians consider and consume honey as medicine and not as food, while it is 1.31 kg in Turkey.

Representatives of Partnering NGOs of NABARD for the Tribal Development Projects and the bee keeping farmers shared their experiences during the event. Shri T Ramesh, General Manager welcomed the gathering, Shri B Giri, Asst. General Manager proposed vote of thanks.

 

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