BSS, Rajshahi :
Many people have become financially solvent through honey harvesting activities in the region including its vast Barind tract.
Honey hunting is being expanded gradually to many new areas contributing a lot towards employment generation side by side with boosting honey production.
As a whole, honey farming has gained popularity in the region as many people attained success through commercial honey harvesting. Like previous years, Ataur Rahman, a farmer of Namajgram village under Godagari Upazila, remained involved in honey harvesting in mustard field since 2000.
At the initial stage, he gained profit through setting up 10 boxes that encourages him to enhance the number of boxes in the following years. In this season, he has set up 265 boxes in different areas. “I have harvested 16 kilograms of honey from every box in last 10 days,” Ataur Rahman said. He earns more than Taka seven lakh every winter season through his commercial honey harvesting.
“Honey harvesting makes me income-generator and self-confident,” said Ashraful Islam Sumon, another farmer of Hasnabad village under Godagari Upazila, adding that he has collected 14 kilograms of honey from every box in last 12 days.
“I got 38 mounds of honey from my 67 bee-colonies in Borobilla area under Paba upazila. I sold 10 mounds to locals. Now I am waiting to sell the rest to a company at a good price,” said Habibur Rahman Babu, a farmer in Darusha village under the same upazila.
Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said more than 225 tonnes of honey were produced in the region during the current season.
He said this amount is five times higher than that of the last year.
Farmers of Rajshahi, Naogaon, Natore, Chapainawabganj and other adjacent districts have been engaged in honey extraction since mid-November.
Farmers set up 7,876 bee-colonies near mustard fields at different villages and got around 75 kg of honey from each colony in two weeks.
The farmers said they were able to sell one-third of the honey to local people and wholesalers at around Tk 150 per kilogram, and are waiting for companies to buy the rest.
“We will be able to make a good profit if the companies buy our honey for Taka 150 to Taka 200 per kg,” the growers said.
A number of growers said the same adding that they have to spend about 50 percent of the earning to meet the cost during extraction and for feeding the bees during the off-season.
Prof Dr Bidhan Chandra Das from Department of Zoology at Rajshahi University told BSS here that honey farmers need technological support, financial assistance and a sound of marketing system.
“It’s possible to make the honey farming a million-dollar business for the country, creating huge jobs,” he said. “If the government takes proper steps, honey production will get a boost in the country, ushering in a new opportunity for export,” said Dr Das.
BSS from Manikganj adds: About 100 commercial honey collectors are passing busy days in collecting honey from the blooming flowers of mustard in Manikganj district.
The honey collectors from the outsides of Manikganj district are running from one mustard field to another field of all seven upazilas of the district with their bee boxes.
During a recent visit to mustard fields in the district, this correspondent found that many honey collectors set up bee boxes in the fields aiming to collect honey.
Abdul Gafur (56), who came from Sirajganj with his younger son, said they are expecting to collect 20 mounds of honey during this winter season.
Homey collection is their seasonal occupation and they have been collecting honey from Manikganj for 10 years, he said.
Honey collectors of Jamalpur, Gazipur, Pabna, Satkhira, Narayanganj, Kushtia and Sirajganj came to Manikganj this season and they are now collecting honey from the mustard fields across the district.
Rashed Ali, another honey collector hailed from Kushtia, said they sell their honey at different parts of Dhaka at Tk 8,000 to Tk 10,000 per mound.
“We welcome the honey collectors as it helps increase our production and we get some honey from the collector as gift,” said Sheikh Fazal, a mustard cultivator.
Officials at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said bees help do pollination as bees fly from flowers to flowers during honey collection, which help increase mustard production by about 15 percent.
They said the DAE expected that about 35 metric tonnes of honey would be collected from Manikganj district in the current season.
Honey collection was started here in November and will continue stillthe second week of January, the DAE officials said.
DAE deputy director Habibur Rahman Chowdhury said honey collection from the mustard fields is a positive thing as the bees contribute to pollination that helps produce more mustard.
Many people have become financially solvent through honey harvesting activities in the region including its vast Barind tract.
Honey hunting is being expanded gradually to many new areas contributing a lot towards employment generation side by side with boosting honey production.
As a whole, honey farming has gained popularity in the region as many people attained success through commercial honey harvesting. Like previous years, Ataur Rahman, a farmer of Namajgram village under Godagari Upazila, remained involved in honey harvesting in mustard field since 2000.
At the initial stage, he gained profit through setting up 10 boxes that encourages him to enhance the number of boxes in the following years. In this season, he has set up 265 boxes in different areas. “I have harvested 16 kilograms of honey from every box in last 10 days,” Ataur Rahman said. He earns more than Taka seven lakh every winter season through his commercial honey harvesting.
“Honey harvesting makes me income-generator and self-confident,” said Ashraful Islam Sumon, another farmer of Hasnabad village under Godagari Upazila, adding that he has collected 14 kilograms of honey from every box in last 12 days.
“I got 38 mounds of honey from my 67 bee-colonies in Borobilla area under Paba upazila. I sold 10 mounds to locals. Now I am waiting to sell the rest to a company at a good price,” said Habibur Rahman Babu, a farmer in Darusha village under the same upazila.
Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said more than 225 tonnes of honey were produced in the region during the current season.
He said this amount is five times higher than that of the last year.
Farmers of Rajshahi, Naogaon, Natore, Chapainawabganj and other adjacent districts have been engaged in honey extraction since mid-November.
Farmers set up 7,876 bee-colonies near mustard fields at different villages and got around 75 kg of honey from each colony in two weeks.
The farmers said they were able to sell one-third of the honey to local people and wholesalers at around Tk 150 per kilogram, and are waiting for companies to buy the rest.
“We will be able to make a good profit if the companies buy our honey for Taka 150 to Taka 200 per kg,” the growers said.
A number of growers said the same adding that they have to spend about 50 percent of the earning to meet the cost during extraction and for feeding the bees during the off-season.
Prof Dr Bidhan Chandra Das from Department of Zoology at Rajshahi University told BSS here that honey farmers need technological support, financial assistance and a sound of marketing system.
“It’s possible to make the honey farming a million-dollar business for the country, creating huge jobs,” he said. “If the government takes proper steps, honey production will get a boost in the country, ushering in a new opportunity for export,” said Dr Das.
BSS from Manikganj adds: About 100 commercial honey collectors are passing busy days in collecting honey from the blooming flowers of mustard in Manikganj district.
The honey collectors from the outsides of Manikganj district are running from one mustard field to another field of all seven upazilas of the district with their bee boxes.
During a recent visit to mustard fields in the district, this correspondent found that many honey collectors set up bee boxes in the fields aiming to collect honey.
Abdul Gafur (56), who came from Sirajganj with his younger son, said they are expecting to collect 20 mounds of honey during this winter season.
Homey collection is their seasonal occupation and they have been collecting honey from Manikganj for 10 years, he said.
Honey collectors of Jamalpur, Gazipur, Pabna, Satkhira, Narayanganj, Kushtia and Sirajganj came to Manikganj this season and they are now collecting honey from the mustard fields across the district.
Rashed Ali, another honey collector hailed from Kushtia, said they sell their honey at different parts of Dhaka at Tk 8,000 to Tk 10,000 per mound.
“We welcome the honey collectors as it helps increase our production and we get some honey from the collector as gift,” said Sheikh Fazal, a mustard cultivator.
Officials at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said bees help do pollination as bees fly from flowers to flowers during honey collection, which help increase mustard production by about 15 percent.
They said the DAE expected that about 35 metric tonnes of honey would be collected from Manikganj district in the current season.
Honey collection was started here in November and will continue stillthe second week of January, the DAE officials said.
DAE deputy director Habibur Rahman Chowdhury said honey collection from the mustard fields is a positive thing as the bees contribute to pollination that helps produce more mustard.
