RAJSHAHI, Dec 23 (BSS): Many people have become financially solvent by beekeeping in the region including its vast Barind tract.
Honey hunting is being expanded gradually to many new areas contributing a lot towards employment generation side by side with boosting honey production.
As a whole, honey farming has gained popularity in the region as many people attained success through commercial honey collection.
Like previous years, Ataur Rahman, a farmer of Namajgram village under Godagari upazila, remained involved in honey collection in mustard field since 2000.
At the initial stage, he made profit through setting up 10 boxes that encourages him to enhance the number of boxes in the following years. In this season, he has set up 265 boxes in different areas.
"I have harvested 16 kgs of honey from every box in last 10 days," Ataur Rahman said. He earns more than Tk 0.7 million every winter season through his commercial honey harvesting.
"Honey harvesting makes me income-generator and self-confident," said Ashraful Islam Sumon, another farmer of Hasnabad village under Godagari upazila, adding that he has collected 14 kgs of honey from every box in last 12 days.
"I got 38 maunds of honey from my 67 bee-colonies in Borobilla area under Paba upazila. I sold 10 maunds to locals. Now I am waiting to sell the rest to a company at a good price," said Habibur Rahman Babu, a farmer in Darusha village under the same upazila.
Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said more than 225 tonnes of honey were produced in the region during the current season.
He said this amount is five times higher than that of the last year.
Farmers of Rajshahi, Naogaon, Natore, Chapainawabganj and other adjacent districts have been engaged in honey extraction since mid-November.
Farmers set up 7,876 bee-colonies near mustard fields at different villages and got around 75 kg of honey from each colony in two weeks.
The farmers said they were able to sell one-third of the honey to local people and wholesalers at around Tk 150 per kg, and are waiting for companies to buy the rest.
"We will be able to make a good profit if the companies buy our honey for Tk 150 to Tk 200 per kg," the growers said.
A number of growers said the same adding that they have to spend about 50 per cent of the earning to meet the cost during extraction and for feeding the bees during the off-season.
Prof Dr Bidhan Chandra Das from Department of Zoology at Rajshahi University told the news agency here that honey farmers need technological support, financial assistance and a sound of marketing system.
"It's possible to make the honey farming a million-dollar business for the country, creating huge jobs," he said, adding, "If the government takes proper steps, honey production will get a boost in the country, ushering in a new opportunity for export."