Jun 28, 2021
Vice Chancellor SKUAST-J&K, Dr. J. P. Sharma was Chief Guest, while Dr. Balraj Singh, Project Coordinator, AICRP (Honeybee and Pollinators), New Delhi was guest of honour during the programme.
The Vice Chancellor, in his inaugural address, exhorted that there is a need for convergence of the UT department and SKUAST-Jammu for providing maximum benefit to the beekeeping community. Beekeeping can be started with minimal investment and without any land requirement. Beekeeping is a very lucrative business with a very short repayment of one year. He stressed on the diversification in beekeeping, quality control of bee products, branding and packaging which can supplement and complement the income of the beekeepers. Dr. Balraj Singh, Project Coordinator, New Delhi stated that there are about 2.5 lakh beekeepers in the country having 35 lakh bee colonies. The honey production in India during 2020-21 was 1.22 thousand metric tons. The bee colonies requirement for pollination of the crops is more than one crore as against the 35 lakh bee colonies at present. Director Agriculture, Jammu K. K. Sharma discussed the problems and prospects of beekeeping in the Jammu region in view of doubling farmers’ income.