RAJSHAHI, Jan 27, 2019 (BSS)-Number of honey harvesters in mustard farming
fields is increasing gradually as the composite farming is being adjudged as
lucrative means of boosting mustard yield in the region including its vast
Barind tract.
Honey hunting is being expanded to many new areas every year contributing a
lot towards employment generation side by side with boosting honey
production.
Many people have become financially solvent through honey harvesting
activities. As a whole, honey farming has gained popularity in the region as
many people attained success through commercial honey harvesting.
Shasthi Paharia, 48, a farmer of Kashini Gongarampur village under Charghat
Upazila, has been harvesting honey for long 10 years through rearing native
bee species ‘serena’ in 12 boxes.
Shasthi says both demand and market price of honey of native bee species
are comparatively high. He is hopeful of selling 120 kilograms of honey
valued at around Taka 50,000 with net profit of Taka 25,000 this year.
His success inspires many of his co-villagers for honey harvesting. Like
previous years, Ataur Rahman, a farmer of Namajgram village under Godagari
upazila, remains 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.
The DAE has set a target of harvesting more than 2.28 lakh metric tonnes of
mustard seed from around 1.85 lakh hectares of land in all eight districts
under Rajshahi division during the current season.
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.
Monjure Mawla, Upazila Agriculture Officer, told BSS that honeybee rearing
in mustard farming field is very much helpful for proper fertilization of the
crop. So, the DAE always inspires and motivates the farmers to this end after
adopting special project.
Prof Dr Bidhan Chandra Das from Department of Zoology at Rajshahi
University said the honey farmers need technological support, financial
assistance and a sound marketing system.
“It’s possible to make the honey farming a million-dollar business for the
country, creating huge jobs,” he said.