Honey production decreases in Jajarkot

By Our Correspondent,Jajarkot, Feb. 5: Honey that used to be available in district headquarters Khalanga and nearby markets has stopped being available as the production decreased from last two years. Though three tiers of governments have invested for bee promotion, they have stopped getting it in the villages due to lack of production.

The Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project has established a bee zone and distributed grants to the farmers in the villages in Bheri and Nalgad Municipality as honey pocket areas. The budget spent for the villagers in Nalgad Municipality and Bheri Municipality by distribution of subsidy programmes to promote honey production, aiming to increase honey production and declare it as an organic honey district, has become like pouring water on sand.

Balkrishna Acharya, head of Nalgad Municipality agriculture unit, said that honey production had decreased in the current fiscal year compared to the last year. He said that honey production had decreased due to the unseasonal rain in the month of October, which is considered to be the peak time for bees.

Ravin Dhital, Head of Agriculture Development Office, said that 1.5 million rupees have been received from the provincial government for bee promotion, 5 million rupees have been agreed with the consumers under the budget targeted programme and the remaining 1 million rupees will be spent by the office based on needs. Dhital said that it was returned for revision. 

About 3.1 million rupees has been received from the federal and provincial governments to promote bee and honey production. A total of 35 metric tonnes of honey produced per year, five metric tonnes and 50 quintals of honey has been produced this year. Dhital said that honey production had decreased by 85.72 per cent compared to last year.

The Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernisation Project Zone to make farmers self-reliant by increasing honey production and productivity had not yielded any return on investment. Three years ago, Jajarkot honey went to foreign lands including Kathmandu. Currently, substandard honey is being supplied in these market places. 

Farmers, who were earning more than one million rupees annually from honey, have not been able to earn from honey production in this fiscal year.