Kolkata, Oct 22 (IANS) The Assam Rifles, under the Army’s Spear Corps, is helping to promote scientific beekeeping and organic honey production among Nagaland residents, officials said on Thursday.
People were trained under the Assam Rifles Civic Action Programme in the districts of Dimapur and Chumoukedima.
This training aims to strengthen skills and open pathways to self-employment for local youth, reaffirming the force’s commitment to youth empowerment and socio-economic development, officials said.
Beekeeping and honey collection is an important economic activity in Nagaland.
According to the Nagaland Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM), the state offers a unique apicultural vantage point due to the existence of age old beekeeping traditions, abundant bee resources, availability of natural vegetation and ideal agro climatic conditions for bees to thrive.
NBHM echoes the essence of thinking local and promoting local by leveraging on the locally available indigenous bee species.
It aims to promote beekeeping as a livelihood option, create an empowered population of honey producers through capacity building, skill upgradation and entrepreneurial development programmes.
For quite some time now, the population is being sensitised on the importance of saving honey bees and promoting honey as a healthy and nutritious food choice.
The aim is also to nurture biodiversity conservation through increased beekeeping activities in the state.
According to NBHM, Nagaland has the potential to accommodate 22 lakh bee colonies and produce 10,000 MT of honey and 10 MT of beeswax annually.
Through its interventions the state is currently producing 440 MT of honey.
A huge potential still lies untapped.
Initiatives by forces like the Assam Rifles that have community reach can help to get more people involved in this work that can generate revenue.
Organic honey produced in Nagaland is now being sold online across the country.
The NBHM also says that the mission endeavors to address the core and legitimate goals of obtaining food security through the pollination services of honeybees.
Around 33 per cent of the food consumed by humans is dependent on honey bee pollination. Thus, beekeeping is vital for enhanced crop productivity and doubling farmers’ incomes.
Beekeeping as an environmentally friendly activity subscribes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of no poverty, zero hunger, climate action, partnerships to achieve the goal, good health and wellbeing, and gender equality.
The NBHM is working towards a transformed Nagaland of prosperous people leading sustainable livelihoods, resulting in a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere that has been catalysed through apiculture, biodiversity conservation, and environmental protection.
“Even we are in favour of a Nagaland that is peaceful and prosperous. These initiatives are aimed towards that,” an Assam Rifles official said.
–IANS
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