World Bee Day-2023 celebrated at Shopian

Shopian : In line with the National Level celebration of ‘World Bee Day’, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers welfare, Shopian on Saturday organised a programme in the Meeting Hall of Mini Secretariat, here.
Addl. Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Shopian, Yar Ali Khan presided over the programme.
The day is being celebrated every year with the aim to create awareness about the significance of bees and beekeeping. This year the theme was “Bee engaged in Pollinator- friendly agriculture Production, focusing on actions for restoring, supporting and enhancing the role of these pollinators’ “.
The ADC underlined the contribution of Bees in production of food crops by way of facilitating the process of pollination. He stressed on the need to organize the training programmes on Scientific Beekeeping.
Attention was also drawn on making Beekeeping as an integral part of farming to increase the farm income.
It was informed that efforts are being made by the department to popularize Bee farming through branding, marketing and formation of FPOs in Shopian district.
The Chief Agriculture Officer Shopian Farooq Ahmad Reshi highlighted the importance of bee keeping in the district as Shopian is known for its horticulture crops and bees play a significant role in pollination of fruit crops and greatly increases yield.
He advised the farmers to avoid the spray of plant protection chemicals in Bee active areas and promote the growing of such crops/plants that attract the honey bees.
He also encouraged the rural youths to come forward and become Beekeeping Entrepreneurs under different CSs and HADP programmes by engaging in the activities like production of Honey, Bee-pollen, Bee-Wax, Bee-Venom and processing branding and marketing of honey besides Bee breeding.
Earlier, in charge DCTC Apiculture, in his welcome address deliberated on the importance of Bees for a better and sustainable environment and enhancing crop production.
Later, the Bee farmers also visited the Bee-garden developed by some progressive beekeepers where they were shown a variety of Bee activities.
Among others, the event was attended by Chief Agriculture Officer, Shopian, Sub Divisional Agriculture Officer Shopian, representative from Horticulture, NRLM, In-charge DCTC Apiculture, officers and officials from Agriculture Department along with progressive farmers, besides good number of Bee-Keepers of Shopian district.