Bhojpur. Lately, farmers here have been attracted towards commercial beekeeping. Beekeeping has become the profession of choice for farmers as it is enough to take care of it once and take care of it, the cost is low and there is easy demand in the market.

Farmers who are looking for new possibilities along with traditional farming have now started making beekeeping the main means of income generation. Almost all local farmers have been involved in beekeeping in Temkemaiyung, Pauwadungma, Rampraprasad Rai Rural Municipality.

There is a special possibility of beekeeping in Baikuntha, ward no. 6 of Ramprasad Rai rural municipality. Most of the farmers here are now involved in commercial beekeeping. Locals like Bakchakha, Bhamla and Chhapgaun have started beekeeping due to the abundant forest nearby, the environment for flowering flowers and the favorable weather for bees.

Beekeeping has become easier with the initiative of the local government. Yekraj Acharya, chairperson of Ram Prasad Rai Rural Municipality-6, said that the training was imparted in two phases to encourage farmers to adopt modern beekeeping. The participants of the training have learned modern beekeeping techniques, beekeeping, disease management and honey collection techniques.

“In the past, farmers used to rear bees in their own way”, ward chair Acharya said, adding, “Now we are taking them to technology-friendly beekeeping”. This will help in increasing the income of the farmers. ’

Sharan Kumar Bohora, a local farmer, is an exemplary character involved in commercial beekeeping. After receiving the training, he started building a modern hive. Currently, he has 35 beehives. “Earlier, I used to keep bees in the hive but the production was also low, but now the production is higher if bees are kept in modern hives. Bees have changed my income,” he said.

Tham Bahadur Rai, chairperson of the rural municipality, said beekeeping has been prioritized in the policy and programme. “We are working in a planned manner to make agriculture business self-reliant and commercial. “We have provided necessary technical knowledge and equipment to the farmers,” Rai said. This will create employment in the village and strengthen the economy of the village. ’

Farmers say that beekeeping has created an environment for them to stay in their villages rather than going for foreign employment. According to beekeepers, the honey produced in Bhojpur could be exported not only to the entire country but also to abroad if the market expansion, quality packaging and branding were carried out.