The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has restarted the “Honey Mission” programme from the Chullyu village in Arunachal Pradesh after the relaxation of the COVID-19 induced lockdown.
As per reports, the KVIC distributed 250 bee boxes on the village immediately after the relaxation of the lockdown.
Chullyu is a plastic-free village in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh and the people here are environment-conscious.
The villagers here produce high-quality organic vegetables and fruits, including sweet potato, peas, pineapple, peach, plum, almond, litchi, papaya and walnut which provide abundant pollen and nectar to the honeybees.
In a statement, KVIC said, “The tribal population in the village wears mostly Khadi and uses banana leaves for eating and cups and glasses made up of bamboo for drinking purposes.”
“Since there is no use of plastic in the village, it provides a clean pollution-free environment conducive for the working of honeybees and producing high-quality honey,” the statement added.
“The initiative is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-reliance call by promoting local industries,” said KVIC Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena.
“Beekeeping will not only increase honey production but also other products such as bee wax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom, which are also marketable and can fetch good sums to the villagers without having to migrate to other cities for jobs,” he added.
“Increasing the number of bee colonies will ultimately boost the overall agricultural and horticultural products in the region,” Saxena further said.
Reportedly, the KVIC is planning to distribute 3,000 bee boxes in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.