Good news for bee keepers of the State in the hour of crisis during the global pandemic, agricultural thinktank of the State- Birsa Agriculture University (BAU) plans to provide marketing facilities on large scale for the farmers, who produced honey under supervision of BAU. The honey will be sold under brand name Birsa Honey.
BAU Director Extension Education, RS Kureel informed that the programme started in October-November 2019 to uplift the living standard of farmers in the State through Sweet Revolution (Honey Production). Funded by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under Tribal Sub Component Plan the university started the programme at 40 villages of 20 blocks in 10 different districts of the State.
“BAU and various Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) collected a total of more than 200 quintals of honey so far. We are planning to provide a market facility to the farmers so that they could get a better return of their product. We are planning to tie up either with organisations like TRIFED, KVIC or any private companies like Reliance and Dabur to market the honey at a good rate,” said Kureel.
The Director Extension Education further said that four honey processing units have been established at different KVKs to convert raw honey in edible honey and a packaging unit along with the processing units also established to package the honey. “More than Rs five crore funded by ICAR for the programme. This programme has employed more than 700 farmers in the State and around six thousand beekeeping boxes were distributed among those farmers through the University. A complete training programme of farmers was organised before distribution of boxes so that they could produce honey efficiently,” he added.
Talking about the objective of the programme Kureel said that the programme was started with an objective of to make Jharkhand in the category of developed State, providing employment by connecting the farmers of the State with bee keeping, to increase horticulture and agriculture yield and income of farmers, to make the State in leading State in the field of honey production, production of quality honey.
“Jharkhand is the best state to implement sweet revolution and there is huge potential for honey production. Approximately 30 percent of land is covered by forest which is the most important resource for honey production. State's climate is suitable for honey production. There are abundant numbers of crops, fruits, vegetables, wild trees, eucalyptus, karanj, semar, neem, sisam and others which is the best from the point of view of beekeeping,” said Kureel.