MillenniumPost
Bengal

Rural youth of Bongaon, Basirhat to be trained on beekeeping

Kolkata: The district administration of North 24-Parganas is chalking out elaborate plans to impart training on beekeeping among unemployed rural youth particularly in Bongaon and Basirhat sub-divisions.
The youth would be trained by forming small groups. According to the plans, the district horticulture officials would conduct awareness campaign among rural youth to encourage them in bee farming. It would also convince the people to take up beekeeping as an occupation to increase agriculture products.
It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her recent administrative meeting at Barasat laid emphasis on the beekeeping and asked the administrative officials to develop it as an alternative source of income for the youth in the remote areas of the district.
According to a senior administrative official, the district has a potential of honey cultivation and around 15,000 metric tonne of honey is produced in the district. The district administration is distributing identity cards among beekeepers so that they can avail various benefits of the state government schemes.
It has often been found that some of the beekeepers in the district are yet to be enrolled for their ID cards as a result of which they are being deprived from the certain benefits. The district administration will also ensure that all the people involved in bee farming can get photo identity cards.
Many more bee cultivators would soon get the identity cards. The scheme would not benefit the poor beekeepers but it would also increase the overall production of the honey. The state horticulture department would ensure that beekeepers get a good price for their produce in various state government markets.
The state government will also support the bee farmers in marketing their products. Bengal is one of the largest producers of honey in the country. The district horticulture department would provide the farmers with free boxes, honey extractor, smoker, bee veil, knife, hive tool etc so that they take up honey production seriously.
Training would also be provided on bee management, bee diseases, swarm control in bee colonies and timely extraction of honey care against Pesticides in colonies.
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