Honey production declines by 90 per cent in Jajarkot

JAJARKOT: Beekeepers have witnessed a huge loss with a heavy decline in honey production in Jajarkot district this year. The production of honey declined by 90% compared to the last year. Hari Bahadur Budha from Nalgad Municipality-1 had made half a million rupees by selling 875 kilograms of honey last year. But, this year there was a huge slump in production. Similarly, another beekeeper Hari Bahadur Pun from the same locality shared similar plight that he had produced 300kg honey last year, but only 20kg this year. Pun has been doing commercial beekeeping. The sharp fall in income has disappointed him much. Budha and Pun are two representatives. More than 1,100 farmers have similar stories of loss in honey production and income in the apiary. District Agriculture Development Office, Jajarkot has argued that the nectar in the flowers of chiuri and other fruits flowed away due to heavy rainfall that occurred from September to November, which had a direct bearing on the production of honey. Lack of flowers, deforestation, encroachment and climate changes are the causes of the sharp decline in honey production. Information Officer at the District Office, Topendra Nepali, said in addition to the seepage of nectars from the flowers with heavy rainfall, bees are dying due to various diseases and farmers lacked technical knowledge. The bees must have left the area after they did not find their feed. Moreover, the use of insecticides, attack in beehives by hunters, and delayed flowering due to climate change are other reasons behind the heavy decline in honey, he added. Due to the shortage of honey, it is difficult to find it at Rs 1,000 per kg now, while it was found easily at Rs 600 last year. The decline in product resulted in a price hike. Nalgad Municipality is regarded as the pocket area for the apiary. About 10 tonnes of honey was produced in the district last year which decreased to 1 tonne of honey this year. Information Officer Nepali further said there are 4,202 traditional beehives and 1,946 modern beehives in the district. By RSS READ ALSO:

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