Not to be Published/Broadcast before 29th  June   2009

Apiculture, once considered to be neglected area of socio-economic activities, today has emerged one of the major source of earning for people in Himachal Pradesh. Thanks to the technical inputs, training and guidance being provided by the Government which has given a systemic and organized impetus to apiculture in the State.

Himachal Pradesh offers a vast potential for the development of beekeeping as 37,033 square kms area is under forest cover ranging from Shivalik hills to Greater Himalayas.   Beekeeping has a predominant role to play in pollination, honey and wax production. Pollination benefits can be evaluated at higher level as compared to byproducts produced by the bees. The department of Horticulture is imparting training to the unemployed educated youths of the State to adopt Apiculture as a profession.

The department has 32 Bee stations and demonstration apiaries in various parts of the State. There are 1500 numbers of bee colonies in Himachal Pradesh which has been divided in two zones. East zone comprises of Shimla, Solan, Sirmour, Kinnaur, Bilaspur and Ani sub-division of Kullu district and in the West zone, falls the districts of Kangra, Chamba, Una, Hamirpur, Kullu and Lahaul -Spiti.

The  Horticulture Technological Mission project, too, has laid its helping hand to popularize beekeepers by providing subsidy and other inputs besides making available bee hives, bee colonies, honey extractors, bee veils, C.F. Sheets to the needy and unemployed individuals. The department of Horticulture also provides AGMARK of honey facility to the private honey producers of the State. The department also provides bee colonies at reasonable rates to well off orchardists for pollination of fruit crops.

The persistent efforts of the State Government can be seen from the fact that during the last couple of years the number of commercial beekeepers has gone up to 1500. At the same time 83,000 honey bee colonies have been developed.

Honey bees are one of the important primitive social insects as well as a rich source of Honey. There are five species of honey bees found all over the world, namely Apis Florea, Apis Ceranaindica, Apis Dorsata, Apis Mellifera and Trigona Iridipennis, However A.Cerena and A. Mellifera are reared in hives in India. In Himachal Pradesh Appis Mellifera and A. Ceranaindica which is imported from Italy are domestic species while Dorsata is known as a wild species found in forests of the State.

Since, Himachal Pradesh is endowed with rich flora and fauna, the profession of bee keeping gives a good value for the quality honey. The annual production of honey in the State varies from 700 MT to 1600 MT per annum depending upon the weather conditions. Apart from being used in medicines and other Ayurvedic drug preparation, the propolis of the bee hive is used in lip balms and tonics whereas royal jelly extracted out of it is used for improving appetite, preventing aging of skin, leukaemia etc.

          Besides honey production bees plays an important role in pollination of various fruit crops. The pollination in most of the temperate fruits especially in apples is done entirely by insect pollinators particularly by honeybees.

          Apiculture needs to retain its diverse characteristics better and more imaginative systems are to be designed for standardization, quality control and marketing. Apiculture is an area with significant backward linkages and potential for a very high value and high volume market in the State.