Outreach

Districts: 3 (Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Tehri)

Villages: 210

Beneficiaries: 3121

DNPCL total output- 70 tonnes of honey/annum

Net annual returns: 59.2 lakhs (year end 2007)

Average Income– Rs 2000/ annum
 

The rationale for identifying bee-keeping as one of AT India’s programmes lies in the predominantly agrarian economy and land use pattern of Uttarakhand. The Apis cerana himalaya commonly referred to as the Himalayan hive honeybee and Apis cerana cerana are the indigenous bee sub-species promoted under the programme. The species is known to be the ideal pollinator for organically grown mountain crops, with the capacity to significantly enhance agricultural productivity. As with other wild bee species, Apis cerana  plays an indirect but vital role in combating soil degradation by pollinating wild plants thereby enabling improved regeneration of biomass, to be returned to the soil. Thus, AT India’s honey programme remains true to the organization’s twin goals of conservation and livelihoods.

Honey production from Apis cerana is lower than for most other honey bee species but despite that it has been reared for centuries by the local people through the traditional wall hive technique. However with AT India’s intervention since 1995, its output has been improved through the introduction of improved wall hive technology and bee boxes to increase productivity of traditional bee hives.

   Programme Highlights

· Beekeeping has become a livelihood opportunity for approximately 3121 farmers.

· Over the years, technical support and training by way of introducing low-cost, improved bee boxes has enhanced honey productivity by over 50%.

· Establishment of 3 bee breeding centers addresses the most critical constraint to extension of activities, i.e. shortage of swarms. Such innovations in multiplying colonies has dramatically increased the number of swarms available and put the activity on a growth path.

· Currently AT India has approximately 11,800 bee colonies under the  management of its organic honey programme.

· AT India has supported swarming of approximately 2135 new hives (conducting a total of 165 swarm divisions), and trained various other local NGOs along with supplying them with approximately 205 complete bee boxes. AT India has also supported the Department of Horticulture in construction and swarming of 504 improved wall hives in 5 districts.  In this way, AT India is able to expand its reach by disseminating technology and reaching a greater number of producer networks.

· The honey processing plant in Dehradun has been upgraded with a bottle sealing machine and improved testing laboratory. This has further enhanced the quality of the produced honey and has enabled DevBhumi honey to establish its own niche in the market.

· Institutionalization of the honey programme as an independent commercial activity through DevBhumi Natural Products Producer Co. Ltd. has greatly improved its marketing prospects. The DevBhumi honey can boast of a pan-Indian presence as the market expanded from only Uttarakhand to 300 retail outlets in North and South India. Some prominent retailers include Fab India, Key Stone Foundation, Ananda Spa and Oberoi Chain of Hotels.

· Organic Certification for honey has been received from both local and international certification agencies. A total of 2966 farmers have been certified as organic. DevBhumi honey is also recognized by the Fair Trade Federation of America.
 

Organic Certification: ATI has now approximately 281.8 ha under certification, by the Uttarakhand State Organic Certification Agency. The agency has accreditation from APEDA (?) and also authority for certification for compliance with NOP, NPOP, EU, USDA standards. A total of 2966 farmers have been certified through a group certification scheme. This honey has already been certified as Organic by SGS (Societe Generale de Survillance) an international certifying agency for organic food.

Honey Extraction Process The bee box technology employed and popularized by AT India to collect honey in Uttarakhand, does not involve the killing of bees. The honey is collected in moveable frames contained in the bee box. These wooden frames contain sheets made from the original bees wax. When one frame has sufficient honey to be harvested, it is gently removed from the box, inducing the bees to fly to the adjoining frame in the box. The honey from the frame is then extracted by dripping it off through rotational motion in specially designed drum based honey extractor. The same raised frame with the pollen and pupae intact is replaced into the box, enabling the bees to continue where they left off. Traditional processes of honey extraction by the villagers from the wild, involve firing the entire bee colony and in the process killing a huge proportion of bees and destroying their home. The remaining bees have to again start from a scratch.  Honey Processing Unlike honey from other agriculturally developed areas where agro-chemicals are used in large quantities, the honey produced under the project has been certified as organic and hence guaranteed to be completely free from any kind of chemical contamination. The bees also feed on the myriad herbs and wild flowers of the mountains. Therefore, the honey is processed in a manner that all its natural properties are retained. Any such treatment which may de-nature the plant and bee enzymes, vitamins and other crucial heat labile components of the honey, is avoided.

Organic Commodity Production

Procurement and marketing of organic Rajma (red kidney beans) and Malta (citrus fruit), among others (lentils, horse gram, red rice, soya bean, amaranthus, finger millet) are been undertaken by AT India to encourage conservation of local genetic diversity and enhance incomes.

SGS (Societe Generale de Survillance) an International certifying agency for organic foods has registered 2966 farmers for Organic cultivation in the districts of Rudraprayag and Chamoli with land holdings totaling to 650 acres. The certified farms all fall in the category of small landholder category as the average land holding is a little less than half an acre per producer.

As of now, the approximate quantities available as output from the above farms are, 65 tones of rajma, 150 tones of malta apart from other organic agriculture  commodities. In the coming years, DNPCL expects to procure 500 tonnes of assorted agriculture commodities for trade.

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