Introduction:
Bees and Beekeeping contributes to sustainable rural livelihoods not only through production and sale of honey and its bi-products, but also through maintenance of biodiversity and increase in crop production through its pollinating services.
Beekeeping is simply the practice of rearing bees for their honey or wax. In modern day context beekeeping literally means the scientific rearing of bees by adopting the latest technology and maintaining strict hygienic standards to obtain the best quality honey. Beekeeping has been in practice the world over since time immemorial. Different geographical locations, different environmental set ups and different techniques of rearing and harvesting affects the quantity and quality of bee product even for the same species. To one’s convenience, knowledge attained from experience is applied to upgrade rearing techniques most suited at that particular locality. With the advancement in technology, bee keeping in no time has developed into a full-fledged high income and employment generating industry. Apart from this, many small and big cosmetics, perfumery, medicinal and food industries based on honey, wax and its by- products have emerged on a large scale.
Honey is an important product that fetches a high market price in many parts of the world making it an industry with a gross value of production in excess of $2 billion. There are also many other products from beekeeping that can be equally, if not more lucrative than honey. Beeswax has almost unlimited uses; Apitherapy – the use of bee products for health and healing is growing in the world market. Apitherapy products include natural bee pollen, raw propolis, fresh royal jelly (currently selling for US$ 100 per kg), and bee venom (currently selling for US$ 100 per gm in China). The global production of honey at present is 1.4 million MT per annum, out of which China alone produces about 0.3 million MT and exports about 90,000 MT annually. India produces about 52,000 MT and exports 15,000 MT annually. The EU consumes approximately 32% of the world’s traded honey production and imports about 2, 35,000 tonnes annually followed by USA (1, 04,000 MT) and Germany (95,000 tonnes). In view of the versatile application of honey and other bee products, there is a tremendous demand and there exists a colossal demand-supply gap in the world honey market. Thus, the scope of beekeeping and its future prospects are very high.
Potentials in Nagaland
The whole of North-east region including Nagaland falls within one of the 18-mega biodiversity hotspot area. The region is considered as cradle of flowering plants and availability of abundant bee flora flowering throughout the year. Prevailing ideal climate characterized by mountain specificities with steep slopes, deep gorges and narrow terrain ridges, thickly covered with flowering plants increase the surface of bee foraging area. High percentage of forest covers (above 80%) and negligible use of pesticides in cropped land offers the state with vast scope for producing organic honey and pollen for the world market. Rich traditional knowledge, wisdom and experience of hill dwellers on bee keeping; availability of skilled carpenter and timber in the state are an added bonus.
A Traditional-cum-scientific input is easy even for common layman to practice beekeeping. This factor further lends to the scope for convenience and encouragement in adopting apiculture on a massive scale in Nagaland, especially in the rural farming areas where bees increase the crop productivity through cross pollinating service. Moreover, apiculture industry has a great potential for employment generation especially in the rural areas practicing integrated agriculture.
The Government of Nagaland has been undertaking a wide range of initiatives to diversify the agriculture sector with a view to strengthen the poverty alleviation efforts. Beekeeping is one of the strategies accorded high priority to diversify the farm sub-sector with the objective of creating more employment opportunities, incomes and hence, alleviate poverty. Thus, Apiculture is viable in the state which can develop into an industry and can boost the State’s economy.
Honey is a high value, low volume, imperishable item, suitable to mountain specificities and ecosystem for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Nagaland honey is mostly produced from natural forest flora which can fetch premium price for its high quality and diverse medicinal value, thus provides excellent opportunity for export. Availability of a variety of flora in the state throughout the year reduces the dearth period of the bees in Naga land; thereby can enhance the production of honey.
Out of the state’s total geographical area of 16,579 sq. km, the total bee surface foraging area available is estimated at 13,493 sq. km, thus the state has the potential to keep about 54.00/- lakh bee colonies which can produce about 65,000 MT of honey annually. These can generate an income of Rs. 975/- crores per annum, besides providing substantial employment opportunity through beekeeping and honey enterprise.
Present Status and Constraints:
Beekeeping in Nagaland is an age old tradition which is practiced in an unscientific and crude method by using log hives, bamboo hives, clay pots and underground/soil hives. ). The use of improved wooden bee box has not gained wide popularity due to high cost and lack of awareness. The most common species of honey bee reared are Asian Honeybee (Apis cerana) and Stingless bee. Italian bee (Apis mellifera) has been tried in the state but is not found to adapt well. However, this species should not be encouraged in the state for various reasons. Honey from wild bees are also collected from Rock bee (Apis dorsata/laboriosa, Little bee (Apis florae) etc.
The specific constraints of Naga beekeepers are that of lack of proper bee management, inadequate application of bee pest control measures, limited access to credit facilities, lack of marketing facilities. These constraints are further aggravated by inadequate extension coverage, lack of special skills and research undertaking in the beekeeping section.
Traditional methods need to be replaced by the improved and modern scientific methods for better management. Non availability of multiplication centre for bee colonies, fabricating/manufacturing bee hives and other related bee equipments are other factors responsible for failure of large scale growth of apiculture. Moreover, lack of proper marketing channels, testing facilities for BIS/AGMARK, processing units etc, are also the major factors hampering the apiculture development.
Priorities:
• Nagaland being backward and a tribal dominated state is not exposed to modern scientific bee keeping methods and the honey produced are also crude and unhygienic. Therefore, there is a need to give a fillip in scientific beekeeping methods.
• Organizing entrepreneurial development and capacity building trainings.
• Systematic assessment of beekeeping potential in Nagaland on the basis of cropping pattern, area under various crops and plantations, availability of forest bee flora needs to be assessed and beekeeping maps prepared. These observed results from the studies need to be recorded and documented in order to analyse errors and incorporate improvement.
• There are no facilities available for honey processing, storage, bottling/packaging in the State at present. Common Facility Centres for post harvest management and value addition are of utmost necessity to improve honey quality.
• Non-availability of established source of beekeeping equipments in the State. There is a need to provide facility to the beekeepers to make ready availability of these equipments.
• Number of available bee colonies at present is minimal. Hence, bee colony multiplication centre is necessary for easy availability to the beginners and other bee keepers.
• Honey being a biological substance and intended for food and pharmaceutical use, needs greater attention in quality and handling. Establishing marketing channels, testing facilities for quality control and certification are high priority areas.
• As farmers have been taking up beekeeping at a small scale, the absorptive capacity in terms of institutional, manpower and financial capacities is low in implementation of beekeeping project. There is a need for trained personnel and informed community to implement beekeeping projects and the solution is to seek support from financial institutions to complement State government efforts and build capacity for farmers to realize potential of beekeeping as a source of revenue for both individual farmers and for the state’s economy.
Nagaland Honey Mission (NHM):
To harness the potential of beekeeping and urgently address the problems and priorities listed above, Government of Nagaland has launched “NAGALAND HONEY MISSION” to implement programmes and policies which are aimed at fulfilling the economic, social and environmental objectives through beekeeping and honey development activities in the State.
The strategy of the Mission is to promote and develop scientific and sustainable beekeeping industry focused on 3 major areas viz. Capacity building & research undertakings; apiculture development and promotion; and industry service and marketing. The programmes will be approached in a mission mode for which Nagaland Honey Mission Team has been constituted with members drawn from various State Government Departments.
