TRIFED in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and National Bee Board organised a National Conclave on “Wild and Forest Honey”.
- Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda said “Beekeeping activity has been recognized as one of the important activities by Government of India for its promotion and development to achieve “Sweet Revolution” in the endeavour of enhancing the income of bee farmers and honey gatherers”.
Honey production and export
- Honey plays an important role in Ancient Ayurvedic system of treatment and it is used not only in our food but also has medicinal values.
- India exported 59,999 metric tonnes (MT) of natural honey worth Rs. 716 crore (US $ 96.77 million) during 2020-21, with the United States taking a major share at 44,881 MT. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and Canada were the other top destinations for Indian honey.
- India started its first organized exports in the year 1996-97. World honey exported in 2020 is 736,266.02 MT.
- India ranks 8th and 9th in the world in honey producing and exporting countries respectively.
- The world honey production in 2019 was 1721 thousand metric tonnes.
- This includes honey from all nectar sources, agricultural plants, wild flowers and forest trees.
- China, Turkey, Canada, Argentina, Iran and USA are among the major honey-producing countries, accounting for 50% of total world production.
- North East Region and Maharashtra are the key areas for natural honey production in the country.
- Around 50% of the honey produced in India is consumed domestically and the rest is exported across the globe.
- Honey exports have huge potential and especially in the COVID19 pandemic as its consumption has gone up globally as an effective immunity booster and a healthier alternative to sugar.
- The Government of India approved allocation of Rs 500 crore for the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) for three years (2020-21 to 2022-23).
Honey Producer Organisations
- The mission was announced as part of the AtmaNirbhar Bharat initiative in February 2021.
- One of the key initiatives of TRIFED that was launched by Shri Arjun Munda, Minister of Tribal Affairs in December, 2021, was the formation of 14 Honey Producer Organisations in States of Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Gujarat.
- These 14 Honey FPOs are a part of the central scheme “Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)” of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
GS TIMES UPSC PRELIMS & MAINS CURRENT AFFAIRS BASED BASICS DAILY ONLINE TEST CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ FOR STATE CIVIL SERVICES
