Kathmandu. According to the Federation of Beekeepers of Nepal, 21 tonnes of honey produced by Nepali farmers is yet to be sold. At the same time last year, 69 tonnes of honey was unsold. At that time, the problem was solved to some extent after beekeeping went to the house of Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ramnath Adhikari and complained.
At that time, Dabur Nepal had purchased some quantity of honey due to pressure from farmers. Farmers, however, have been saying that there is a problem in marketing of honey, due to which there is a situation of large stock.
According to bee experts, honey is not in the house due to lack of demand for honey, but the problem is that there is still no full faith in Nepali honey. According to Subash Chandra Ghimire, president of the Federation of Beekeepers, there is a problem in marketing due to the thinking that Nepali honey accumulates and frozen honey is fake. He said that the honey fair has been organized in Kathmandu to provide information about honey, discuss and interact about its usefulness as well as marketing.
According to bee expert Jagdish Bhakta Shrestha, bees make honey by bringing juice from plants and flowers. For example, honey made by bees from mustard quickly freezes. Apart from this, honey also freezes at temperatures below 13-14 degrees Celsius. In this way, the process of accumulating honey is considered natural.
“Heating honey destroys some of the properties of honey,” Shrestha said. According to him, consuming honey is not only a medicine but also beneficial for this nutrient. Consuming honey also helps in boosting immunity.
Outgoing President of Nepal Beekeeping Federation, Shiva Prasad Sharma Poudel, said that although the consumption of honey is beneficial for many reasons, there is a problem of marketing. According to him, beekeepers have been migrating in the past years due to non-sale of honey. The problem of marketing was solved to some extent after putting pressure on the government at that time.
“We suggest buying honey produced by Nepali farmers, but honey can be fake as it is natural to freeze honey,” he said.
Bikash Nepal, proprietor of B&B Bee Farm of Chitwan Kalika Municipality, Shaktikhor, who was found in the honey fair, expressed the belief that such fairs would help in marketing honey. Rajendra Gautam, former president of The Federation of Beekeepers of Nepal, said that nepal has not been able to produce as much honey as it should have. He complained that the farmers were facing problems due to lack of market for the honey produced.
“Nepali honey is good in terms of quality, but we have not been able to explain it to the consumers here,” he said. He said the government should also help in marketing the honey produced. Although the international market of Nepali honey is good, it has been exported in very small quantities, he said.
According to Sujan Amgain, chief of Bee Development Centre Bhandara, more than Rs 50 million worth of Nepali honey was exported every year. He believes that there is a possibility that honey produced in Nepal can also be sent to the international market. He said the export of honey could be increased if it could be produced as per the standards set by different countries.
According to beekeeping farmers, there is a problem not only in the marketing of honey but also in grazing. According to the farmers, it is necessary to solve the problems of bee conservation and payment of fees for bee grazing due to pesticides.
Farmers cannot produce honey on their own and go to the market. Food license has to be obtained from the government. Not every farmer can have a processing unit. That’s why Nepali honey is not sold, experts say.
Chairperson of Nepal Beekeeping Central Cooperative Association Januka Thapa stressed the need of organizing beekeeping farmers in the context of marketing of honey.
In the ongoing honey fair at Bhrikutimandap, 40 chambers of honey, grass, polan, prapolis, cap, brush and other materials have been kept. Farmers from all seven states are participating in the fair. A discussion on honey has also been organized on the occasion.
According to Maha Mela Coordinator Subash Chandra Ghimire, information about the technology used in beekeeping, various species of bees and honey will be given in the fair. According to him, the quality, taste and color of honey varies according to the species of bee.
Farmers affiliated to the Federation have produced 226 tonnes of honey this year alone. There are 12,138 shells of Serena bee and 6,500 shells of Mellifera in Nepal. A total of 711 farmers who rear Serena and 270 farmers who rear Mellifera bees are associated with the federation.
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