The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has chalked out a comprehensive plan for revival of beekeeping industry in the flood-hit areas of the province. The government has chalked out a mega project 'Honey is Remedy for Health" for the uplift and revival of beekeeping industry in the flood-hit districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
Official sources informed on Sunday that it was a two-year project and flood hit districts of Charrsadda, Nowshera, Swat, Dir, Chitral and D I Khan would be targeted where people associated with beekeeping industry were badly affected by July 29 devastated floods and torrential rains.
He said another project for women called "Honey in Kitchen" would also be launched in flood hit districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa with special focus in rural areas where the gushing waters swept away hundreds of thousands of bee boxes in a jiffy.
The projects have been designed with focus on capacity building, farmers' education and raising nurseries of bee-flora plants for promotion of honey industry in Khyber Pakthunkhwa and Fata.
The government has also planned to train 8000 manpower including 1000 females besides distributing 2500 bee-boxes on concessional rates among flood hit beekeepers to bolster their income. Special focus on conservation of Apis Dorsata (wild bee) is also in government's strategy as it has the ability to produce 35 to 40-kg honey from each comb.
The government is also working on a Honey Extracting Machine to purify tons of honey in relatively far less time besides saving precious life of bees off springs that are killed in thousands during purification process of combs.
The official said close co-ordination between banks and beekeepers are required for revival of honey industry. The country's total honey export is about $5 million and efforts are underway to touch the mark of $15 million in next five to six years.
The government has been urged that a micro-finance credit loan should be given to beekeepers especially to those belonging to quake-hit-areas to minimise their financial problems and revive their honey business in flood hit areas.
The recently flood had badly affected the population of local bee called Apis Florae (Swati bee) due to loss of bee flora plants, flowers and scrub forest. The official said if urgent measures are not taken for its conservation and protection there is every possibility of loosing an average five to ten KG out of one thousand KG honey. He said goal oriented results for uplift of honey industry could only be achieved by focusing on beekeepers training, marketing of the product and close co-ordination between all the stakeholders to compete internationally in honey sector in order to earn valuable foreign exchange.
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