Nitin Singh Email & Phone Number

Commercial beekeeping is possible in India because of the vast forest cover facilitating the presence of nectar and pollen on its grassland. It is known that 160 million hectares of land is under farming in India out of which 55 million hectares of land is under entomophilous crops that need cross-pollination by bees and other pollinators. The production of honey is about 10,000 tonnes. So, if roughly estimated there s scope of keeping 200 million bee colonies in the country which can provide self-employment to over 10 million families of the rural population. Currently, there are 1.8 million colonies in the country and there is a need to expand the area under honey bee farming such that the required target is met. With the increasing demand for honey in the country as well as the international market, the potential for honey bee farming should be tapped so as to create employment opportunities for the people in our country and to generate good income.Honey bee farming has remained a minor unit of the cottage industry and there is being little scientific support and infrastructure provided for this sector. It is important to recognize the demand for Indian flower-based honey in the local and international market and start exploring new ways to increase production so as to meet the growing demand.