Honey farming turns many into successful small-entrepreneurs

RAJSHAHI, Jan 22 (BSS): Honey farming has made many people especially some self-committed persons small entrepreneurs in the region. When some cash crops particularly mustard and litchi become flooded with flowers, work of the professional and amateur honey-hunters along with their appointed workers is usually geared up. By virtue of the natural honey collection and marketing, Jarjish of Shayampur village under Paba upazila of the district become a famous honey entrepreneur. After taking loan of Taka 25,000 from Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank in 2004, he started the farming in different crop fields with six boxes and collected 400 kilograms of honey on the first year and 2,000 kgs the following year. "Now, I am collecting around 5,000 kilograms through using 150 boxes every year from November to June," Jarjish told BSS here Monday narrating his success story. He said that he invested around Taka 40 lakh in the business and constructed a one-story concrete building and established a honey processing plant partly and processes around 200 kilograms of honey every week at present. At least 200 kilograms could be processed everyday if the plant was full- fledged for proper marketing, he said. Jarjish said there are many other honey hunters in the district and they harvest around 50 tonnes of honey every year and production can be doubled using modern technologies. He also said the honey farmers, in many cases, remain in unhappy condition over the business due to lack of proper marketing system. In this regard, he said proper attention and technological support can make the honey production a huge profitable business for the country. He urged the concerned authorities to bring the honey growers under training on honey processing and its marketing. Prof Dr Mahtab Ali of Zoology Department of Rajshahi University told BSS that honey farmers needed technological support, financial assistance and a sound marketing system. "It's possible to make the honey farming a million-dollar business for the country, creating huge jobs," he said. Prof Mahtab said Bangladesh can even export queen bees, candle and gum which will further contribute to the export. In Europe, each queen bee is sold at 50 euro. He said many unemployed people can be involved in honeybee farming and the marketing process of honey, which will ultimately help reduce poverty apart from giving a boost to the country's export earnings.