BEEKEEPING TRAINING COURSE CONCLUDES AT PAU

Ludhiana, June 27, 2018: A seven-day beekeeping training course for beginners concluded at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today. The course was organized by Integrated Beekeeping Development Centre, Department of Entomology, at PAU under the aegis of National Bee Board, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi. A total of 40 participants including seven women from across Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu states attended the course.

Dr G.S. Buttar, Additional Director of Extension Education, PAU, who was the chief guest, lauded the potential of beekeeping and its diversification in employment generation and enhancing income of farmers, farm women and unemployed youth. He urged the trainees to focus on maintaining quality of honey and other hive products for their sustainable growth in this enterprise. Keeping in view the vast health benefits of honey, he stressed upon including honey in daily diet. He also advised the trainees to stay connected with PAU scientists for further expert guidance. Later, he distributed certificates among the trainees.

Dr Pardeep Kumar Chhuneja, Course Director and Head, Department of Entomology, said the main objective of this training was to impart technical information and practical know-how of the beekeeping practices and relevant aspects for successful starting and carrying out scientific beekeeping as subsidiary or main occupation by the trainees. There were around 30 theory lectures and 10 practical covering all aspects of beekeeping, including honey bee species; apiary site selection; bee hive and other apicultural equipment and machinery; bee flora; seasonal bee husbandry; management of swarming; management of pests and diseases; protecting bees against pesticidal poisoning; bee pollination of crops; colony multiplication and mass queen bee rearing; production of various other hive products, viz. pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom; strategies and avenues for honey and bee products marketing, etc., he informed. An exposure visit of trainees was also conducted to renowned bee hive fabrication, apicultural equipment manufacturing, and honey processing and bottling units of Punjab, he added.

Dr Jaspal Singh, Senior Entomologist and the technical coordinator of the course, said the experts from State Department of Horticulture and officials from public-sector banks also interacted with the trainees and provided information about various beekeeping development schemes including various kinds of financial support available for the beginners as well as upgradation of apicultural enterprise. An AGMARK expert informed about the procedure for securing AGMARK and FSSAI labeling, he told. An interaction of the trainees was also arranged with S. Jagjit Singh Kappor, CMD, M/S Kashmir Honey Exports and S. Simranjit Singh, President, Progressive Beekeepers Association (Regd.).