India has potential for 200 million bee colonies: Beekeeping development committee report

PUNE: India has a potential of about 200 million bee colonies as against the present 3.4 million and increasing the number of bee colonies will not only enhance the production of bee-related products but also will boost overall agricultural and horticultural productivity, stated recently report of the Beekeeping development committee (BDC) under the Prime Minister's economic advisory council.The report has been kept in the public domain for further deliberations.
The BDC constituted with the objective of identifying ways of advancing beekeeping in India is focusing on improving agricultural productivity, enhancing employment generation, augmenting nutritional security and sustaining biodiversity. Further, beekeeping can be an important contributor in achieving the 2022 target of doubling farmer incomes.
As per Food and Agricultural Organization database, in 2017-18, India ranked eighth in the world in terms of honey production (64.9 thousand tonnes) while China stood first with a production level of 551 thousand tonnes. The report mentions that beekeeping cannot be restricted to honey and wax only, products such as pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom are also marketable and can greatly help farmers.