People in Ngaland turn to apiculture

Owing to the rich natural resources of the State, the people of Nagaland are turning to honey beekeeping as an alternate way of livelihood.

Some people have even made honey beekeeping as their full-fledged occupation by setting up their farm in an open space.

According to Zazve Rhisu, a honey bee keeper, people of this landlocked State are striving to make apiculture farming an avenue of employment generation for unemployed youths both in urban and rural areas.

He added that given the natural resources in the State honey bee keeping has a good chance to overtake the conventional farming in few years. He further said that for a decade Nagaland Bee Keeping and Honey Mission made people aware of the benefits, alternate income sources and scientific methods of bee keeping for sustainable livelihood.

Apiculture has a long tradition in the state as people practiced the crude methods by using bamboo boxes, log hives and underground etc. but now the modern methods like improved wooden boxes for better bee management are used adds Rhisu.

A Honey Mission staff member said that earlier there was not much interest in the honey bee farming as they did not have enough knowledge but under Honey Mission people were trained in bee keeping and ways to generate income through it.

A beneficiary of the scheme said that in Nagaland although there is potential and scope for honey bee keeping but people are still ignorant about the honey bee keeping programme. He further said that the Honey Mission aims to uplift the rural area and the people by promoting this work culture.

An official of the Khadi and Villages Industry Commission explained that people of Nagaland also wanted to sfaeguard this age-old practice with the help from modern technology. He also said that in line with the 'Sweet Kranti' or Sweet Revolution, an initiative of the Prime Minister to boost mass production of honey on a mission mode, Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Ministry of MSME under Major Honey Mission Programme distributed free bee boxes and bee colonies with accessories to the people of Dimapur district.

A total of 40 beneficiaries were given 10 free bee boxes each and tool kits under Rs. 49.78 crore honey missions, which is being implemented by KVIC in the state. The activities and its progress will be physically monitored by KVIC on monthly basis. This mission aims to provide sustainable livelihood programme creating employment and income generating avenues in the state including the far flung areas according to the official.

Bee keeping is practiced not only for honey as food but also applied in agriculture for better crop yield, for extraction of wax and in the manufacture of cosmetics, and medicines etc. It is a sustainable and agriculture supportive activity which provides nutritional benefits, besides playing a vital role in maintaining ecological balance. At present, Asian honey bee, Stingless bee, Rock bee etc are hugely found in the region.