The country has for so long been tagged a status of ‘Krishi Pradhan’, and with the rise of New India, agriculture and allied activities as a sector too has strengthened which possesses scope of creating more jobs, better produce and MSPs, modern agri solutions, agro-startups growth and mega welfare schemes to support farmers and their produce. The efforts have resulted in pursual of many novel agricultural practices & methods across the country like organic farming, horticulture, poultry, dry farming etc. and have also led to record stats of exports and production. One such booming type of agricultural occupation is Apiculture, which is showing huge potential and global reach.
It is low-cost, includes the perfect ingredients for maintaining the ecological balance and has proved to be a factor of fortune for Indian farmers – It is ‘Sweet Revolution,’ a honeyed shot in the arm of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Government has been ambitiously promoting apiculture or ‘beekeeping’ for quite some time now and putting in great efforts to accelerate the production of quality honey in the country. Scaling-up of beekeeping is directly proportional to doubling farmers’ income, generating employment, ensuring food security, conservation of bees, and increase in crop productivity. For this, a dedicated amount of Rs. 500 crore has been allocated for the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission for three years (2020-21 to 2022-23).
India has made its reputation as one of the leading honey exporting countries in the World. Organic honey produced in India receives global attraction as the sweet success of India reaches major markets including Germany, USA, UK, Japan, France, Italy, Spain etc. India exported about 60,000 MT of natural honey worth Rs Rs. 716 crore (US $ 96.77 million) during 2020-21 with the United States, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Bangladesh and Qatar being the major export destinations. Currently, more than 50% of the honey produced is being exported now allowing India to win 8th and 9th rank in the world in honey production and Export, respectively. India today has about 30 lakh bee colonies which produce 94.5 thousand MT of Honey. It provides employment to about 3 lakh rural people and has more of untapped potential of creating more jobs, given the efforts and endorsement continue.
Beekeeping has been one of the oldest activities in India. This makes it one of the leading honey markets in the world which have created intense competition in terms of innovation and cost. The honey market in India was worth Rs. 15,579 Million in 2018, registering a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.9% during 2012-2018. Additionally, the demand for honey in India is augmenting on account of the growing consumer preference for natural and healthy alternatives of artificial sweeteners, rising awareness regarding the benefits of honey and increasing popularity of various honey flavors.
The northeast region with its abundant floral resources can be deemed an ideal geographic location for the promotion of the apiculture market. As per a piece published by Niti Ayog, The apiculture market is estimated to register a CAGR of 4.3% during the period 2020–25, with Asia–Pacific as the dominant producer. As per a report by IMARC, the Indian apiculture market size is expected to reach a value of Rs 33,128 million by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of nearly 12% by 2024.With such possibility of rising demand abroad, Indian states, especially the north-eastern regions, can become significant players to benefit from the furthering of the Sweet Revolution for income & employment generation for farm and non-farm households.
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