SRINAGAR: The Director of Agriculture Kashmir, Chowdhury Mohammad Iqbal, today inaugurated a seven-day Divisional Level Training Programme (DLTP) on scientific beekeeping under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) at Agriculture Complex Lalmandi Srinagar.
The inaugural session of the week-long program was attended by beekeepers, students and officers of the department.
Addressing the session, Director Agriculture Kashmir, Chowdhury Mohammad Iqbal highlighted the importance of small-scale agri-cottage industries like beekeeping, Mushroom Cultivation and other allied activities in the overall development of the agriculture sector.
He said the main focus of organising such training programmes is to promote small-scale agri-cottage industries like beekeeping among the farmers and educated youth of the region.
Chowdhury Iqbal said that agriculture diversification is the key to reducing risk in farming activities and hence beekeeping has emerged as one of the important tools which not only enhances the agricultural income of the farming community but also secures it against changes in climate and soil resources.
The Director of Agriculture expressed satisfaction and said many people; mostly educated youth are able to earn their livelihood, because of honey bee colonies. “With time, more and more young men and women are turning towards beekeeping. He said that beekeeping forms the potential part of integrated farming and could play an important role in increasing the farmer’s income.
The director said that beekeeping as an off-farm activity has the potential for employment generation due to wide agro-climatic diversity enabling round-the-year bee flora availability.
NBHM aims to promote bee-keeping and provide self-sustaining employment opportunities among farmers and unemployed youth in rural India.
Joint Director of Agriculture Inputs, Tabassum Naz; Assistant Entomologist, Dr Qazi Showkat also addressed the participants of the program.
