KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRA-DODA
DIRECTORATE OF EXTENSION
SHER-E-KASHMIR UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL
SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY OF JAMMU
A SUCCESS STORY
BEEKEEPING AND HONEY
MARKETING
DIRECTORATE OF EXTENSION
SHER-E-KASHMIR UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL
SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY OF JAMMU
Inspired by
Guidance
Compiled and Edited by
Dr. Pradeep K. Sharma
Hon’ble Vice Chancellor
SKUAST - Jammu
:
:
:
:
Dr. K.S Risam
Director Extension
SKUAST - Jammu
Dr. R.S. Bandral
Dr. Amitesh Sharma
Published by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Doda
Directorate of Extension
SKUAST Jammu
Success Story
Training on Beekeeping
Sulai Plant
Beekeeping and Honey Marketing
Kandni and Bhandera villages, falls in Dharabshalla block of district Kishtwar in Jammu
& Kashmir. This area has fairly diverse ecology
from medium upland to lowland and soil type from
sandy loam to clay loam with diverse crop plan.
Some of the farmers/rural youths of this blockare
practicing apiculture and keep their apiary from
May to October in this area to harvest honey froma
wild bush locally known as Sulai, (Plactenthus ).
Sulai is a very good honey yielding plant flowering
in the month of August to October and producing white honey having good quality and
market value.
Before Interventions of KVK Doda:
Income generation is important for any agricultural activity. Apiculture is proven to
be an income generating enterprise under favourable conditions. But selling and marketing a
honey remains a big challenge for apiculturist in the area every year due to lack of Know-
how and lack of honey processing unit in the area.
Intervention of KVK Doda:
In the month of September 2013, KVK Doda
along with apiculture development officer and
extension functionaries of theState Department of
Agriculture approached these bee keepers and
imparted training on beekeeping at Dharabshalla and
discussed the issues they are all facing from
managing the bee hives to selling the bee products.
They were also made aware about with the fact that
apiculture is not an enterprise for selling of honey rather more than it such as making candles,
selling bee wax, making foundation sheets and Royal jelly.After imparting training, KVK
Doda discussed the problems faced by the beekeeper regarding the marketing and processing
Apiary
Brand Name
of honey. Some of the beekeepers raised the problems of marketing the honey.Since the
honey harvested from Sulai has a good market
value, KVK Doda telephonically contacted with
the vendor located at Ludhiana, who was dealing
with marketing and import of honey. The vendor
agreed to buy the honey and requested to despatch
2-3 kg of honey sample for testing within a week.
But the apiculturists of the area were not in a
position to despatch honey sample within a week because the harvesting of honey was still
awaited.
KVK Doda came in touch with Bhaderwah based young man named Mr Tahir Mohmad
Sheikh and encouraged him to start buying, processing and sellinghoney . Eventually, KVK
Doda convinced himfor honey business. Mr Tahir along with PC, KVK Doda visited
apiculturists of Dharabshalla area and discussed with them regarding buying of honey.
Finally the negotiation took place and Mr Tahir, a youngentrepreneur , agreed to buy the raw
honey from the apiculturists of the area. Finally, Mr Tahir bought 500 kg of honey from
beekeepers in themonth of October 2013 and stocked at Bhaderwah. Now the big question
for Mr Tahir was how to process honey since the temperature at Bhaderwah falls drastically
from October onward and it was very difficult to process the honey. Then, KVK Doda
discussed with him regarding the technical know-how about processing of honey like
deterioration of quality due to heating of honey.
KVK Doda convinced him to process the honey
without heating in the month of March-April.
Finally, with technical support from KVK Doda,
Mr Tahir processed honey at domestic level.H e
packed the honey in 1 kg and 2.5 kg bottles and
searching the market for packaging material. He
contacted Division of Post harvest Technology of
SKUAST-Jammu regarding packaging material and got the reference of Ludhiana based
Vendor for packaging material.He has establishedhis brand name of honey as DINKUM
HONEY and selling the honey. He has also applied for honey licence.
Besides this, he also has his own apiary unit of 5 hive and getting technical skill and
knowhow about beekeeping from KVK, Doda.
Right from September 2013, Mr Tahir is in continuous touch with KVK, Doda and
being enriched by KVK Doda with technical know how about beekeeping and honey.
Linking Beekeepers with NABARD:
In order to boost beekeeping in the area, KVK Doda contacted District Development
Manager (DDM), NABARD, Doda and discussed with him concerning promoting
beekeeping in the area and also requested for funding assistance to Mr Tahir, the
entrepreneur, to set up small honey processing unit. On request of KVK Doda, DDM
NABARD visited Bhaderwah and discussed with Mr Tahir about the role of NABARD
regarding financial assistance. He added that NABARD is supporting only the group and not
the individual farmer. Keeping in view the group approach of NABARD, KVK Doda took an
initiative and formed a beekeeping club named Kandni Beekeepers Club and submitted the
same to NABARD.
By the intervention of KVK Doda, a local young man turned to a entrepreneur and
beekeepers of the area marketed honey to local entrepreneur Before marketing intervention for Bee.
IMPACT:
keepers by KVK, the income was Rs. 60,000. However, after marketing intervention
for beekeepers by KVK, the income increased to Rs. 70,000.
For More Detail, Please Contact :
Dr. Rakesh Singh Bandral
Programme Coordinator, KVK- Doda at Bhaderwah
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : www.kvkdoda.nic.in
