JOYPURHAT, Jan 22: Over 250 bee farmers, trained by Bangladesh Small and Cottage industry (BSIC), have become self-reliant collecting honey in Joypurhat district.
The areas from where honey was collected have expanded. It has contributed towards employment generation side by side with boosting honey production.
Shajahan Ali and his wife at Badsha village under Sadar upazila of the district took training from BSCIC in 1999 and began cultivation with only five boxes of bees. Now, they have developed the farming to fifty boxes this season.
A good number of people of Puranapoul, Dostapur, Shalgram, Jamalpur, Vdasha and Mohammadpur village under Sadar upazila have become involved with the job to manage family expenditure in the vast Barind tract.
At the initial stage, Apel Mahmud, a farmer of Puranpoul village under Pachbibi upazila made profit through setting up 10 boxes that encouraged him to enhance the number of boxes in the following years. In this season, he has set up 65 boxes in different areas and hopes to make good profit.
"I have already harvested 20 kgs of honey from every box last week and I am expecting to collect over 30 kgs in the rest of the days," said honey collector Jahangir Alom at Sundarpur village. "I earn more than Tk 0.3 million every winter season from commercial honey harvesting." he added.
Honey harvesting makes me income-generator and self-confident, said Sohel Rana, another farmer of Puranapoul village under Pachbibi upazila, adding that he has collected 14 kgs of honey from every box in the last five days.
Farmers are selling a maund of honey at Tk 12,000 to 13,000 to the wholesalers against Tk only 2000 to 3000 production cost, said wholesaler Jalal Uddin under Sadar upazila. Farmers have already produced more than 200 tonnes of honey in the region during the current season.
Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Shudhindranath Roy said that honey farmers need technological support, financial assistance and a sound marketing system to expand the farming across the district.
Deputy Manager of BSIC Aktarul Islam said it is possible to make honey farming a million-dollar business for the country, generating large number of jobs. If the government takes proper steps, honey production will get a boost, he added.
