Ilam, Jan 12: The number of beekeepers has surged in Rong Rural Municipality in Ilam district. With the investment from the local government to promote beekeeping, around 900 households in the rural municipality have done commercial beekeeping.
According to Rong Rural Municipality Chairman Mani Kumar Syangbo Subas, attraction of farmers towards beekeeping is impressive as the rural municipality announced its plan to open a Honey Bank, a centre for honey collection.
The beekeepers have also been given training on quality honey production and grant on beehives to encourage them towards beekeeping.
The rural municipality chairman shared that the local government invested around Rs 10 million in two years for encouraging locals for honey production. The honey producers’ networks have been formed in every ward.
The rural municipality has planned to provide certain percent in grant to the beekeepers on the basis of production. “We are working on development of certain indicators for quality honey production. The farmers have to submit their application in the first month of the fiscal year to join the Honey Bank,” Chairman Syangbo said.
The rural municipality would ensure the marketing of the honey produced here, he added.
The rural municipality has planned to handover the management part of the proposed Honey Bank to a cooperative.
Likewise, the community forests have been directed to compulsorily implement the programme. “Annual plans of the community forest will not be approved without the programmes of the beekeeping,” he added.
Manoj Adhikari/RSS
