Chitwan, Nov 4: Beekeepers in Chitwan have submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal, urging the government to reconsider its decision to prioritize imported honey.
On October 13, a meeting held in the presence of Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr. Madan Prasad Pariyar — and coordinated with the Federation of Nepal Beekeepers — decided to purchase 10 metric tons of mustard honey from local producers while allowing the import of 125 metric tons of honey for Dabur Nepal and 40 metric tons for Patanjali Ayurveda as part of the second quarterly quota.
Bee farmers have strongly opposed the decision, arguing that it will negatively impact Nepal’s domestic honey industry and that only a few individuals were involved in the decision-making process.
Shiva Poudel, the outgoing president of the Federation, said that since the main period for honey production and consumption runs from Ashoj to Chaitra, allowing the import of foreign honey during this time is not in the interest of Nepali beekeepers. He urged the government to promote domestic honey production and marketing through supportive policies and import-substitution programs.
According to Poudel, without government support, there is a growing risk that multinational companies and large business intermediaries could displace Nepali honey producers.
Nepal annually produces approximately 1,500 metric tons of mustard honey, 2,000 metric tons of Chiuri (Nepali butter tree, Diploknema butyracea) honey, and another 500 metric tons of other varieties. Commercial beekeeping began in 1994, and the country currently has about 130,000 hives of Apis mellifera bees and more than 170,000 hives of Apis cerana bees.
It is estimated that around 4,000 metric tons of honey is produced annually from mellifera beekeeping and about 1,000 metric tons from cerana beekeeping. More than 12,000 farmers are engaged in mellifera beekeeping, while thousands of others are involved professionally in cerana beekeeping across Nepal. #nepal #honey #beekeeping
