Attractive alternatives for landless farmers

MS Khaidem *

Bees :: Pix by Salam Chinglenkhomba

Believe it or not, a landless farmer can equally earn as a farmer who cultivate one hectare of paddy field by starting honey bee farming with 15 bee boxes. Maybe very simple and funny to hear, but it is practically 100% true. Are we getting locally produced pure honey at any time in our market other than Dabur branded honey? Not at all, for reasons not known, very few, countable number of farmers/entrepreneurs take up bee farming professionally.

Bee farming constitutes a resource of sustainable income generation to the rural farmers as an agro based enterprise. Bee keeping requires less time, money and infrastructure investments. The honey bee does not compete for resources with any other agricultural enterprise. Bee farming has positive ecological consequences. Bees play an important role in the pollination of many cross pollinated flowering plants thereby enhancing crop production to the tune of 20-25%, thus on one side increasing the yield of cross pollinated flowering crops all-round the year and on the other even landless farmers can take up for income generation from the sale of honey and wax.

Approximately, one half of the human diet is derived directly or indirectly from crops pollinated by bees. Today honey bees are an essential part of a healthy agriculture economy. Traditionally, beekeeping has been mainly forest based as several natural plant species provide nectar and pollen to honey bees. Thus, the raw material for production of honey is available free from nature. Therefore, bee colonies neither demand additional land space nor do they compete with agriculture or animal husbandry for any input.

The bee farmer needs only to spare a few hours in a week to look after the bee colonies. Bee farming is therefore ideally suited as a part-time or full time income generating enterprise. The raw materials for the beekeeping industry are mainly pollen and nectar that come from flowering plants. Both wild and cultivated vegetation in Manipur constitute an immense potential for bee farming enterprise as these plants are the major or minor sources of nectar and pollens. Much of the raw honey is sold to the pharmaceutical companies, confectionery and food industries, where it is processed and used in different formulations. Demands are so high there is no problem for market.

The present local market value of raw pure honey ranges from Rs180-200 per kg. Sourcing of natural or pure honey is becoming difficult due to urbanisation and deforestation. Simultaneously, its demand is steadily increasing as an important ingredient of Ayurvedic medicines which have become more and more popular. Therefore, for any quantities of honey produced, marketing will not be an issue as demands are so high for local consumption as well as for National Pharmaceutical companies.

Medicinal Value of Honey: Honey is a versatile food for all ages used by both the healthy and the sick for any kind of weakness, particularly in case of digestive or assimilative problems. It improves the growth of non-breast fed new born infants, catalyses in calcium fixation of bones, cures anaemia and is useful for chronic and infective intestinal problems such as constipation, duodenal ulcers, and liver disorders.

It is also clinically proved to cure various ailments like normalizing the functions of kidney, helps recovery from alcohol intoxication and protects the liver, as quick wound healer, Arthritis, hair loss, bladder infections, toothache, cough & colds, infertility/sedative, heart diseases and as antioxidants increasing body immune system. Not the least, regular use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

Pure or Impure Honey: With the growing popularity and increased in demand, fake and impure honey have become a commonplace in the market today. Generally honey is adulterated by adding syrup of jaggery. It is difficult to differentiate pure and impure honey by physical appearance. The following few simple tests may be helpful in identifying which category of honey we are going to buy.

1. Honey does not instantly dissolve in water. When a teaspoon of honey is poured in a cup of water and wait for a few minutes, if it is pure, the same should remain as a solid lump at the bottom of the cup.

2. Pure honey when poured on blotting paper does not absorb.

3. Pure honey when poured on a piece of white cloth and wash it after few minutes, it does not leave any stains behind.

4. Pure honey, although sweet, surprisingly ants don’t get attracted. Put some drops on a small dish. If ants gather, it’s not pure.

5. When a cotton ear bud is dipped in pure honey and light it with a match stick it will burn with blue flame but impure honey will not burn or may burn with cracking sound due to adulteration.

6. While pouring pure honey from one container into another, it will spin clockwise. This is a because of the asymmetrical structure of honey molecules that give it a right hand bias.

7. Pure honey when stored in refrigerator, it stays clear-amber with no crystallization.

Investment: Bee farming is not a manufacturing activity as such costly machine and tools are not required. There is nothing like production capacity as well. Small wooden frames with boxes are needed. Their sizes are also standardised. To begin with, around 15 such sets/boxes can be purchased or assembled at rate of Rs.1500/- per box that would cost Rs.22,500/-.

Honey extractors would cost Rs. 5,000/- each with filtration facilities. Other miscellaneous expenditures including training and consultancy services may cost around Rs.5000/-. That means a total of Rs.32,500/- only would be required to start bee farming with 15 boxes which is equivalent or less than the cost of cultivation of one acre of paddy field.

Income: As per the established norms, each box comprises 7-8 hives which is able to harvest around 30-35 kg of honey in a year during the flowering seasons of Kharif and Rabi by extracting 10-15 times. Having suggested to start with 15 boxes; the annual harvest of honey could be 450-525 kg depending on the flowering season. Even after considering very conservative selling price of Rs. 150/- per kg; the annual realisation would be to the tune of Rs. 67,500/- to Rs.78,750/- out of the investment of Rs.32,500/-.

The investment made for this income is one time for 5 years with depreciation value of @5% may be calculated for the remaining 4 years. Indicated calculations are based on assumption. Even then, bee farming can be considered as an excellent, profitable agro-based enterprise for landless farmers and entrepreneurs.

With the objectives to popularise honey bee farming for generating rural income coupled with increasing crop production by cross pollination; the National Horticulture Board under the Ministry of Agriculture, Govt.of India, extends Technical/Financial assistance for taking up Bee Farming Projects as per their approved guidelines. Besides this, the Khadi & Village Industries Commission also implements a scheme for Bee Farming under the same mandate.

For more details may log on http://manipursfac.com/agri-business/

Whether to avail these opportunities or not, we are to decide ourselves.