Unemployed youths in Himachal changing their lives with beekeeping

Beekeeping scheme has proven beneficial for both the unemployed and those engaged in farming and fruit cultivation, as it aids in pollination while generating additional income.

Hamirpur/Una: Starting his humble beekeeping vocation with a meagre Rs 1 lakh, Anubhav Sood from Una is now a proud business owner with an annual income of Rs 30 lakh.

His story mirrors that of many unemployed young men across Himachal Pradesh who are embracing beekeeping under the Mukhyamantri Madhu Vikas Yojana, yielding positive results, officials said on Monday.

The scheme has proven beneficial for both the unemployed and those engaged in farming and fruit cultivation, as it aids in pollination while generating additional income.

Anubhav, who hails from Ambota Village, is also responsible for 10 people to whom he provides direct employment.

Inspired by his mother Nisha Sood, who is associated with food processing, Anubhav took a month's training at Nauni University, Solan, followed by a week's training at the Sher-e-Kashmir Agricultural University, Katra and started beekeeping with 25 boxes.

Later, he expanded his business by taking a loan of Rs 10 lakh from the Canara Bank under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Program and launched his product Pahadi Honey in the market offering varieties like Black Forest, Black Diamond, Multi Flora, Kesar, Acacia which fetch 500 to Rs 1200 per kilogram, depending on the variety.

Currently, he has 300 bee boxes and produces about 10,000 kg of honey in a year.

Anubhav says he migrates bees to parts of Himachal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan for honey production in different seasons and with this technique, he is producing higher quality and diverse honey varieties.

The products are certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

Rs 1.60 lakh, including 50 boxes of bee species, is provided for beekeeping under the scheme besides financial assistance of Rs 10,000 for transporting bees, Deputy Director Horticulture Una K K Bhardwaj said.

The department also provides an 80 per cent subsidy or financial assistance of Rs 16,000 on the purchase of beekeeping equipment, he added.

The beekeeping business is also beneficial in terms of health benefits, as honey contains anti-bacterial and anti-allergic elements and its consumption increases immunity, District Ayurvedic Department Medicine specialist Dr Ashok Chaudhary said.

He also noted that honey is particularly beneficial for post-Covid patients.

Davinder Thakur, a resident of Neri village in Kullu district also has a story similar to that of Anubhav's.

He started beekeeping five years ago and is also earning in high figures now. "Beekeeping has double benefits. It helps apple orchards by ensuring proper pollination which is essential for fruit production, he says, adding that his apple crop has also increased by 30 per cent.

Thakur started with two boxes of hill bees which can even survive snowy conditions and now, he has 60 boxes producing 200 kgs of honey annually sold for Rs 2,000 per kg. There are 20 to 25,000 bees in one box.

Gopal Kapoor (84) from Gwalpathar village in Hamirpur is another success story. Although he was not unemployed, he was in dire straits financially which made him turn to beekeeping.

Earning Rs 3 to 4 lakh annually now, Gopal started with five boxes and at present has 50 boxes of Italian and Indica species.

All these men are also imparting training in beekeeping to other farmers.

This scheme gives youth and others as well the freedom to be self-employed, and the beekeeping training being free is another bonus, Deputy Commissioner Una Jatin Lal said.