🎯 Policy Measures

Sweet Revolution

• The Prime Minister called for Sweet Revolution or Meethi Kranti or Honey Mission in 2016 with the vision to double the income of the farmers by 2024.
• This is lead by Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to further development of the beekeeping industry to uplift the financial status of people living in extremely interior rural areas by introducing and popularizing scientific beekeeping.
• Jharkhand is the best state to implement sweet revolution and there is a huge potential as State’s climate is suitable for honey production and approximately 30% of the land is covered by forest which is the most important resource for honey production.

World Bee Day: 20th May

• World Bee Day is observed each year to raise awareness on the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy, and on the many challenges they face today.
• This day is celebrated since 2018, thanks to the efforts of the Government of Slovenia with the support of Apimondia, that led the UN General Assembly to declare 20 May as World Bee Day.
• The date for this observance was chosen as it was the day Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern apiculture, was born. Janša came from a family of beekeepers in Slovenia, where beekeeping is an important agricultural activity with a longstanding tradition.

Recognizing Beekeeping/Honeybees as an Agriculture Input

• Considering the importance of Beekeeping/ Honeybees in enhancing crop productivity through pollination support and also in compliance to the recommendation of high level Beekeeping Development Committee (BDC), it has been decided to treat Beekeeping /Honeybees as an Input in Agriculture. This will boost agricultural production through pollination enhancement in crops in a sustainable manner in the country.
• In view of the above, ICAR Research Institutes/ Central & State Agricultural Universities (CAUs/SAUs) / Departments of Agriculture/ Horticulture of State Governments & UTs, and other concerned departments/ organizations dealing with crop production are directed to include Beekeeping/ Honeybees as an input in the Package of Practices recommended for a particular crop and region.
• Beekeeping is the 5th and most important input for overall sustainable development of Agriculture/ Horticulture.

National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM)

• Keeping in view the importance of beekeeping and to achieve the goal of Sweet Revolution the need for holistic development of beekeeping was felt.
• Accordingly, a new Central Sector Scheme National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) for overall promotion & development of scientific beekeeping and production of quality honey & other beehive products is approved by the Govt. of India.
• The Union Government introduced the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission as part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat package in 2020.
• It has been sanctioned Rs. 500 crores for a three-year period from 2020 to 2023.
• The scheme will be implemented through National Bee Board (NBB) as a Central Sector Scheme (100% funded by Central Govt.).
• It collaborates with various other beekeeping initiatives, including KVIC’s Honey Mission, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), and ministries like rural development, MSME, AYUSH, commerce and industry, tribal affairs, among others.
• The NBHM will have following sub-schemes/ three Mini Missions:
  • Mini Mission-I: Under this Mission, thrust will be given on production productivity improvement of various crops through pollination assisted by adoption of scientific beekeeping;
  • Mini Mission-II: This Mission will concentrate on post-harvest management of beekeeping/ beehive products including collection, processing, storage, marketing, value addition, etc. with a thrust to develop requisite infrastructural facilities for these activities; and
  • Mini Mission-III: This Mission will concentrate on Research & Technology generation for different Regions/ States/ Agro-Climatic and Socio-Economic conditions.

मधुक्रान्तिपोर्टल

• “मधुक्रान्तिपोर्टल” is an initiative of National Bee Board (NBB), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM).
• This portal is being developed for online registration to achieve traceability source of Honey and other beehive products on a digital platform. The technical and banking partner for development of this digital platform is Indian Bank. An MoU between NBB and Indian Bank was signed for this project.
• Necessary functionalities are being developed on the Portal to create a database of all stakeholders involved in Honey and other hive products’ production, sales and marketing chain.
• Online registration/ traceability system for source of Honey & other beehive products will help in checking the quality & source of adulteration of honey.
• The system will also enable consumers/public to know the source of honey and assure quality of the products.
• Along with Honey Mission, it will lead to increase in income of farmers, employment generation and increase in exports.
• 10,000 Beekeepers/Beekeeping & Honey Societies/Firms/Companies with 20.00 lakhs honeybee colonies registered with NBB are uploaded on “मधुक्रान्तिपोर्टल”. (Dec. 2022)

Recent Achivements

👉🏻 Following are the main achievements made in beekeeping/ honey by NBB, DAC&FW:

• For marketing support to the FPOs, NAFED has developed 14-15 Honey Corners, one each in 5 NAFED Bazaar at Ashram, New Moti Bagh and East of Kailash, Panchkula and Mussoorie in their Bazaar/Retail Stores. More Honey Corners will be developed by NAFED in most of the upcoming major 200 NAFED Stores to promote market support for honey & other beehive products. Online marketing options will be explored to provide a platform for marketing and promotion of Honey supplied by the FPOs.
• A World Class State of the Art Honey Testing Lab at NDDB, Anand, Gujarat has been setup under NBHM. The Lab has been accredited by NABL and started working/ testing of honey samples.
• Standards of Honey, Bees Wax & Royal Jelly notified by FSSAI. SMR & Foreign Oligosaccharides tests included in honey standards notified by FSSAI.
• Among others, it has been decided to set up 100 Mini & 4-5 Regional/Big Honey & other Beehive Products Testing Labs in 3 years under NBHM.
• 70 FPOs of Beekeeper/honey producers, including 65 by NABARD & others and 5 by NAFED in Bihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan & WB, have been formed.
• Roadmap for collaboration with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for plantation of bee friendly flora on roadsides & promoting beekeeping is being made.
• 29 Bee Breeders have been developed for multiplication/production of quality honeybee colonies along with queens for providing to the trained farmers/beekeepers. Each Bee Breeder produces at least 2000 bee colonies every year.
• 16 Integrated Beekeeping Development Centres (IBDCs) as role model of beekeeping have been commissioned, one each in the States of Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Advisories on Good Beekeeping Practices (GBPs) published & circulated to all State Govts. & concerned Agencies/ Stakeholders.
• Awareness created about role of honeybees/beekeeping in pollination support of various crop.
• National Bee Board (NBB) will support stakeholders to get GI Tag for different types of honey with support from State Governments and other stakeholders. GI is important to proliferate the beekeeping at national and international level.
• TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited) is already involved in promoting beekeeping in tribal parts of the country and procuring wild honey and has also exported to various countries.
• Presently, there exist a total of 25 Agricultural Innovation and Coordination Research Programme (AICRP) centers throughout the nation, which are engaged in conducting research on beekeeping/pollination. ICAR is currently undertaking efforts to establish Pollinator Gardens in collaboration with the AICRP centers nationwide. The first such Pollinator Garden has been successfully established at Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, located in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand.
• Amid rise in honey exports, beekeeping will play a key role in achieving the goal of doubling farmers’ income by 2024, according to Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

- https://nbb.gov.in/
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1710160
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1885747
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1792508
- The Insects - Structure and Function (4th Edition, 1998) – R.F. Chapman. Cambridge University Press
- Wikipedia