The Honey Mission programme was launched by Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC), under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), during 2017-18 and is being implemented to promote Beekeeping activities and provide self-sustaining employment opportunities among farmers, adivasies and unemployed youth in rural India, especially in economically backward and remote areas. Under the programme, beneficiaries are provided with bee boxes, live bee colonies, tool kits and training. Till date, a total number of 15,445 beneficiaries have been assisted under the programme, Minister for Micro. Small and Medium Enterprises, Narayan Rane said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha Thursday.
Besides, under ‘A Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries’ (SFURTI) implemented by the Ministry of MSME, traditional beekeepers are provided with sustainable employment by organising them into clusters, and supporting them with new machineries and training. Twenty nine honey clusters have been approved under the scheme which will benefit 13,388 beekeepers with Government of India financial assistance of Rs.68.65 crore, Rane further said.
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Under National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) scheme under Ministry of Agriculture, scientific beekeeping is promoted for holistic growth of the sector, leading to income and employment generation, livelihood support to farm and non-farm households, the minister informed the lower house of Indian parliament.
KVIC has assigned the work of evaluation and assessment study of Honey Mission to CRISIL (formerly Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited), Mumbai. The key suggestions of the report, inter alia include i) ensuring need based training and up-skilling; ii) training on financial services and credit facilities; iii) strengthening of handholding support on seasonal management and migration; iv) need on awareness on quality standards; v) formalising market linkages and branding and vi) convergence with the existing schemes for farmer producer organsation (FPO) building and cluster-based approach, the minister further said.
Under the Honey Mission programme of KVIC, it is proposed to form eight self-help groups benefitting 80 beekeepers in the Bundelkhand region in the financial year 2021-22, he added.
