KVIC’s Honey Mission

The self-sustainability measures initiated by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic have begun yielding results. Under Honey Mission program about L,O2,000 bee hives with bee colonies have been proposed to be distributed to the 10, 2OO beneficiaries ( 10 Bee hives & Bee colonies to each beneficiary).

• The distressed migrant workers who were engaged with KVIC’s Honey Mission in Uttar Pradesh in the month of August, have reaped their first honey harvest and are awaiting a bumper yield in the months from December to March.
• To begin with, five migrant workers in Western UP’s Muzaffarnagar district extracted 253 kg of honey from their 50 honey bee boxes that were distributed to them on August 25 this year. 
• Raw honey sells at an average of Rs 200 per kg and at this rate it is estimated to fetch nearly Rs 50,000 to the migrant workers.  This means an average income of Rs 10,000 to each of these beneficiaries. A total of 700 bee boxes were distributed to 70 migrant workers after training by KVIC in this region. Honey extraction from remaining bee boxes will continue in coming days.
• The production of honey from these boxes will increase by at least 5 times in the months from December to March as the Eucalyptus and Mustard crop will be in full bloom during the season. Each of these bee boxes will produce nearly 25 kg of honey during the peak season. 
• Further, the beekeepers will be able to migrate their boxes to nearby states like Haryana, Rajasthan and Eastern Uttar Pradesh where honey bees will find abundance of pollen and nectar and thus add to honey production.
• These distressed workers who had returned to their home from other cities were roped in with Honey Mission as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

KVIC Honey Mission  – Objectives

1. Create an end-to-end implementation framework for beekeeping skill development, which provides emplo5rment opportunities and income generation to agriculturists, beekeepers rural & urban unemployed youth.
2. Enforce nationally acceptable standards of Good Beekeeping Practices (GPB) in the country. 
3. Develop a network of quality master trainers in the field of beekeeping for imparting Good Beekeeping / Apicultural Practices.
4. Offer a passage for overseas market for hive products. 
5. Enable pathways from novice beekeepers to viable commercial beekeeping by handholding to credit linkages. 
6. Promote convergence and co-ordination between all the stakeholders of beekeeping in India.
7. Maintaining national  database, which will act as a portal for matching the demand and supply in the country. On the  other hand, it will also serve as a platform for monitoring the performance of existing beekeepers and their skills, available bee colonies and their production in each state. 
8. To tap the local & rural natural resources,for  generation of income and employment to rural & tribal people in selected pockets. 
9. To bring qualitative & quantitative enhancement in honey & hive products for export and domestic market.
10. To promote beekeeping for increasing the crop productivity and pollination services avenue for beekeepers and farmers.