Lok Sabha Question No. 5369 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-05
Subject: National Beekeeping and Honey Mission
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: P.P. Chaudhary, Jagdambika Pal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5369 ANSWERED ON.  5 th  April, 2022

## NATIONAL BEEKEEPING AND HONEY MISSION

5369. SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY: SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष और कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:-

- (a) the amount of honey imported annually during the last three years along with the details of market captured by such imported honey;
- (b) the  steps taken under the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) in the State of Rajasthan;
- (c) the details of the kind of honeybees found in India;
- (d) the details of beekeeping farmers and the honey produced annually, State-wise;
- (e) whether the Government has launched any nation-wide campaign to spread the awareness about the importance of bees;
- (f) if so, the details thereof; and
- (g) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष और कसान कयाण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) Honey  is  being  mainly  used  in medical  and  food  industries  viz.;  beverages, processed foods, jams, and jellies and is increasingly used as an ingredient in health and beauty  products. The  details  of  honey  imported  in  India  during  last  three  years  is enclosed as Annexure-I .
- (b) National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) is promoting scientific beekeeping for holistic growth of beekeeping industry for income & employment generation, providing livelihood support to farm and non-farm households, to enhance agriculture/ horticulture production, developing infrastructural facilities & promoting latest technologies in beekeeping all over the country including Rajasthan.
- 4  project  proposals  viz.;  (i)  2  proposals  to  Rajasthan  Agriculture  University, Jodhpur  for  Sumerpur  Pali  and  Sirohi  districts  for  trainings  on  scientific  beekeeping, technology demonstration on beekeeping, empowerment of women through beekeeping and plantation of bee friendly flora; (ii) 1 training project to Agriculture Research Station, Kota, Rajasthan and (iii) 1 research project to National Research Centre on Seed Spices (NRCSS)- Rajasthan for promotion of beekeeping in Rajasthan for farmer's livelihood and biodiversity conservation have been sanctioned under NBHM in Rajasthan State.
- (c) In India, the following six species of honeybees are found:
- i. Rock bee/Giant Bee, Apis dosrata which constructs large single combs in open on large trees, buildings, overhead water tanks etc.
- ii. Little bee/small beeApis florea which makes a small palm sized comb in open in bushes/small shrubs/small branches of trees.
- iii. Asian hive bee/ Indian honey beeApis cerana - This species make its nests/combs in dark cavities of trees trunks, walls etc. Bees construct multiple combs parallel to each other.  This  species  is  commercially  reared  for  the  production  of  honey,  wax  and  crop pollination. Each colony produces about 8-10 kg of honey.
- iv. European honey beeApis mellifera - This species is most widely used species for commercial honey production in India. Honey production per colony ranged from 25-40kg under migratory bee keeping conditions.
- v. Himalayan  Cliff  beeApis  laboriosa -  This  bee  species  constructs  larger  combs similar to Apis dorsata in southern facing cliffs of high himalayan mountains. In India this species found in Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagalnd and Mizoram states.
- vi. Black dwarf honey beeApis andreniformis -  In  India  its  distribution  is  very  limited and restricted to the high altitudes of north-eastern regions.

(d):  As  on  date,  about  12,000  Beekeepers/  Beekeeping  &  Honey  Societies/  Firms/ Companies  with  18.00  lakhs  honeybee  colonies  registered  with  National  Bee  Board (NBB) on Madhukranti portal under NBHM.

Further,  16335  beekeepers  have  been  registered  and  benefitted  by  Khadi  & Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of MSME in their 'Honey Mission' scheme during the last 5 years (2017-18 to 2021-22 (Up to 25.03.2022).

The detail of honey produced during last three years (2019-20, 2020-21 & 2021-22- 3 rd Advanced Estimate) is placed in Annexure-II .

(e) to (g): Under  NBHM, NBB is creating awareness  about  the importance of honeybees/  beekeeping  by  conducting  various  awareness  programmes  viz.;  trainings, Conference/ Seminar/ Webinars, etc. all over the country time to time. As on date, 1133 beekeeping trainings/ exposure visits and 75 National/ State/ District level seminars on scientific beekeeping have been sanctioned under NBHM.

Further,  AICRP  on  Honey  bees  and  Pollinators,  ICAR  also  conducts  regular trainings and awareness programmes about the importance bees through its 25 research centres located across the country.

## Annexure- I

## Amount of honey imported annually during the last three years (2019-20, 2020-2021 and 2021-22)

|   S.N. | Years              |   Quantity (Metric Tonnes) |
|--------|--------------------|----------------------------|
|      1 | 2019-2020          |                    0.38769 |
|      2 | 2020-2021          |                    0.49428 |
|      3 | 2021-2022(Apr-Jan) |                    0.37524 |

Source: Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, (https://tradestat.commerce.gov.in)

Detail of honey produced during last three years (2019-20, 2020-21 & 2021-22-  3 rd Advance Estimate)

| State-wise honey production in the country Production in '000 MT   | State-wise honey production in the country Production in '000 MT   | State-wise honey production in the country Production in '000 MT   | State-wise honey production in the country Production in '000 MT   | State-wise honey production in the country Production in '000 MT   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. N.                                                              | STATE/UT's                                                         | 2019-20                                                            | 2020-21                                                            | 2021-22 3 rd Advance Estimate                                      |
| 1                                                                  | ANDHRA PRADESH                                                     | 1.85                                                               | 1.89                                                               | 1.89                                                               |
| 2                                                                  | ARUNACHAL PRADESH                                                  | 0.12                                                               | 0.13                                                               | 0.13                                                               |
| 3                                                                  | ASSAM                                                              | 1.25                                                               | 1.35                                                               | 1.35                                                               |
| 4                                                                  | BIHAR                                                              | 15.50                                                              | 16.00                                                              | 16.00                                                              |
| 5                                                                  | CHHATISGARH                                                        | 0.90                                                               | 0.95                                                               | 0.95                                                               |
| 6                                                                  | GUJARAT                                                            | 0.75                                                               | 0.75                                                               | 0.75                                                               |
| 7                                                                  | HARYANA                                                            | 4.60                                                               | 4.80                                                               | 4.80                                                               |
| 8                                                                  | HIMACHAL PRADESH                                                   | 5.80                                                               | 5.85                                                               | 5.85                                                               |
| 9                                                                  | JAMMU & KASHMIR                                                    | 2.25                                                               | 2.30                                                               | 2.30                                                               |
| 10                                                                 | JHARKHAND                                                          | 1.60                                                               | 1.65                                                               | 1.65                                                               |
| 11                                                                 | KARNATAKA                                                          | 2.25                                                               | 2.30                                                               | 2.30                                                               |
| 12                                                                 | KERALA                                                             | 2.00                                                               | 2.00                                                               | 2.00                                                               |
| 13                                                                 | MADHYA PRADESH                                                     | 2.50                                                               | 2.60                                                               | 2.60                                                               |
| 14                                                                 | MAHARASHTRA                                                        | 1.80                                                               | 1.85                                                               | 1.85                                                               |
| 15                                                                 | MANIPUR                                                            | 0.40                                                               | 0.40                                                               | 0.40                                                               |
| 16                                                                 | MEGHALAYA                                                          | 0.25                                                               | 0.25                                                               | 0.25                                                               |
| 17                                                                 | MIZORAM                                                            | 0.25                                                               | 0.25                                                               | 0.25                                                               |
| 18                                                                 | NAGALAND                                                           | 0.65                                                               | 0.65                                                               | 0.65                                                               |
| 19                                                                 | ODISHA                                                             | 1.60                                                               | 1.65                                                               | 1.65                                                               |
| 20                                                                 | PUNJAB                                                             | 16.20                                                              | 17.00                                                              | 17.00                                                              |
| 21                                                                 | RAJASTHAN                                                          | 10.00                                                              | 11.20                                                              | 11.20                                                              |
| 22                                                                 | SIKKIM                                                             | 0.45                                                               | 0.45                                                               | 0.45                                                               |
| 23                                                                 | TAMIL NADU                                                         | 2.10                                                               | 2.20                                                               | 2.20                                                               |
| 24                                                                 | TELANGANA                                                          | 0.80                                                               | 0.85                                                               | 0.85                                                               |
| 25                                                                 | TRIPURA                                                            | 0.20                                                               | 0.20                                                               | 0.20                                                               |
| 26                                                                 | UTTAR PRADESH                                                      | 21.50                                                              | 22.50                                                              | 22.50                                                              |
| 27                                                                 | UTTARAKHAND                                                        | 2.65                                                               | 2.70                                                               | 2.70                                                               |
| 28                                                                 | WEST BENGAL                                                        | 19.50                                                              | 20.00                                                              | 20.00                                                              |
| 29                                                                 | OTHERS                                                             | 0.28                                                               | 0.29                                                               | 0.29                                                               |
|                                                                    | TOTAL                                                              | 120.00                                                             | 125.01                                                             | 125.01                                                             |

Source:  Horticulture  Statistic  Division,  Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India

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