Honey export can help Pakistan earn huge profits: Expert

KARACHI: Mango, berry and sunflower produce very good quality honey which can be export from Pakistan to the international markets for earning huge profits, said a prominent honey bee’s researcher and trainer, Asim Shah.

He expressed these views in an interview at a private university for the guidance of Bioscience students on the subject of “Modern Impact on Agriculture; Increase in agriculture through natural resources and minimize the use of artificial fertilizers”, a statement on Tuesday said.

Asim Shah said that in addition to breeding, (bees keeping) wax, royal jelly, propolis and bee venom can also be traded as honey venom is also used in medicine and scientific research.

He advised the people of Karachi to plant more flowering plants in their homes as possible because honey bees need flowers to make honey.

He said that if three boxes of bees be kept in a suitable place in a house at Karachi, they could easily make honey from the plants planted in the surrounding houses.

He said that according to an estimate, five kilograms or more of honey can be easily obtained from bee hives three times a year, which can be sold at a sufficient profit, therefore, young students can successfully continue their business with the honey trade when they start their business after completing their education.

He added that the movement of bees on flowers and plants in agricultural areas increases agricultural production by 20 to 70 percent, so beekeepers in the United States provide bees to landowners for a fee of 60 to 100 dollars.

Asim Shah said that Pakistan is an agricultural country, it is the fifth largest country in the world in cattle farming, our cow, buffalo and goat meat tastes is the best in the world, our vegetables, fruits and milk are excellent in terms of taste and high quality.

He said unfortunately that, 60 percent of our dung is dumped in the fields, which deprives us of the same amount of nitrogen gas, if the same dung is put in biogas drums, the biogas produced from it can not only generate cheap electricity but also produce high quality natural fertilizer.

He said that one truckload of dung could equivalent to two and a half truckloads of biogas to the agriculture sector which needed to be taken advantage of.

It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Imran Khan had launched the 'Billion Tree Honey Initiative' to increase the production of honey through the plantation of trees in December 2020.

The plantation of trees including Kao, Phulai, Ber, Kikar and other bee flora will be encouraged, under the program.

A mechanism will also be provided to support bee flora, improve the quality of honey production, provide livelihoods to beekeepers and sustain the activity through the provision of financial resources.

According to the government's Honeybee Research Institute (HBRI) in Islamabad, Pakistan exported honey worth Rs. 966 million in the financial year 2018-2019.