2-days Distt Level Seminar on ‘Potential & Prospects of Commercial Beekeeping commences at Kupwara

Kupwara: Two days district level seminar on ‘Potential and Prospects of Commercial Beekeeping in District Kupwara’ sponsored by National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM), Ministry of Agriculture Government of India commenced on Tuesday at Town Hall Kupwara.
Seminar, organized by Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare Department Kupwara was inaugurated by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Kupwara, RoufurRahman and will conclude on 7th Feb, 2024.
On the occasion, a Souvenir was also released.
More than 200 farmers, most of them beekeepers, aspiring beekeepers from all over the district attended the programme.
ADC while addressing the gathering highlighted the importance of Apiculture in creating employment in the district and assured full support to the farming community for undertaking mega projects to uplift the economy of the farmers.
Earlier in his inaugural address, Gurdeep Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer Kupwara presented a detailed overview of the scope and potential of beekeeping in Kupwara district. He elaborated on the schemes being offered by J&K Government for the beekeepers.
He also highlighted the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) in the Agriculture Sector and detailed the Projects being implemented for promotion of beekeeping under HADP.
Lead District Manager Kupwara, MehboobIllahi Khan urged farmers to take up beekeeping business and highlighted the availability of financing facilities under various subsidized schemes available for farmers.
On the occasion, it was informed that 6 projects amounting to Rs.176 lac under NBHM were approved by District Level Committee and UT level Committee and are being established in the district which includes Beekeeping Custom Hiring Centre, Beekeeping equipment manufacturing Units, Honey Processing Units.
Additionally a Project Proposal in Public sector for the establishment of Centre of Excellence with project cost of Rs.98 lac in Apiculture in Handwara has been approved by the Committee which will enable expanding the Apiculture Sector in the district.
Resource Persons and experts on the occasion urged educated unemployed youth of the district to take up this lucrative business, harness its potential and contribute to the economy of the district.
They further said that Kupwara district has huge natural resources like forests, crops and herbs which offer an ample scope for agriculture, allied activities especially beekeeping.
They urged the farmers to take maximum benefit under the programme by getting training and awareness of different Government schemes to establish their income generating units under the Apiculture sector.
During the seminar, the resource persons provided awareness to the aspiring beekeepers. The participants were also familiarised about getting registered on Madhukranti Portal and National Beekeeping and Honey Mission.
Lead District Manager J&K Bank, MehboobIllahi Khan; Scientist from KVK, FirdousRaina; Assistant Soil Conservation Officer, Mukhtar Ahmad Karnai, SyedMushtaq, District Agriculture Officer (Inputs ), Tariq Ahmad Mir, District Agriculture Officer (Extension), Muneeer Ahmad Naik, SDAO, Manzoor Ahmad Sheikh, SDSM, Malik Ijaz, Apiculture development officer, PirzadaIshfaq and Javid Ahmad Shah Technical Officers, other experts and progressive farmers attended the seminar.