The Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare Department (AP&FW), celebrated World Bee Day at Agriculture Complex Kupwara on Saturday.
Chairman, District Development Council, Kupwara, Irfan Sultan Panditpori was Chief Guest on the occasion while Vice Chairman, DDC Kupwara, Haji Farooq Ahmad Mir was Guest of Honor.
Theme of the World Bee Day was “Bee engaged in Pollinator Friendly Agricultural Production”.
Chief Agriculture officer Kupwara, Gurdeep Singh, officers and experts from Agriculture department and other allied sectors besides several farmers, beekeepers and other stakeholders associated with honey production attend the programme.
Achievements and different activities were showcased on the occasion through a detailed powerpoint presentation. A detailed feedback was also received from beekeepers.
Addressing the participants, DDC chairman Irfan Sultan Panditpori said that diversified agro-climatic conditions of frontier Kupwara district provide great potential for beekeeping and honey production. He further said that we should take advantage of scientific technology for increasing production of honey by maintaining quality standards for national and international markets and promote the production of other beehive products viz.; bee pollen, beeswax and bee venom.
Interventions by the Agriculture department and its allied sectors have facilitated the beekeepers to increase their income and address the greater demand of honey.
Chairman, said that he himself is much inclined towards beekeeping and has several beehives at home. He said that people especially farmers and orchardists have misconceptions that bees cause damage to their crops and fruits and desist from having beehives in their fields and orchards, but in actual pollination is very fruitful and important for increase in crops and fruits. These misconceptions need to be removed.
Chairman said that keeping in mind the potential of beekeeping in Kupwara district, he shall take demands of beekeepers with higher authorities regarding planting of Kikker trees in barren lands by Social forestry and other departments so that adequate food for bees is ensured.
Vice Chairman, DDC Kupwara, Haji Farooq Ahmad Mir speaking on the occasion congratulated beekeepers for striving hard to renew and revive this pious profession of beekeeping.
Beekeepers in consultation with experts of the department are doing a lot of efforts for overall promotion and development of scientific beekeeping and to achieve the goal of “Sweet Revolution”. Vice chairman congratulating the beekeepers on behalf of District Development council Kupwara said that they are facing immense problems and hardships during their annual migration to Rajasthan and Punjab.
Earlier Chief Agriculture officer Kupwara, Gurdeep Singh welcomed the guests and assured full cooperation from Agriculture department Kupwara to beekeepers.
In the programme, it was apprised that there are 550 private beekeepers, 89 Commercial beekeepers in Kupwara district who go for migration and 8500 Bee-colonies (Apis mellifera) and 3500 wall colonies (apis cerana indica ). Total production of honey in the district during 2022-23 was recorded at 1050 Qtls.
