Home ›› 20 Jan 2023 ›› Nation
Honey farming has proved to be a profitable business for many farmers, especially small-scale entrepreneurs, across the country and as a result, people are becoming increasingly interested in the practice.
According to local sources, Honey collection in mustard fields has made many farmers in the Rajshahi region, including its vast Barind tract, financially solvent side by side with changing their fortunes and helping them earn more money to lead a happy and prosperous life.
Many of the farmers are passing busy times now with honey harvesting and trading commercially during the flowering stage of mustard plants.
Shasthi Paharia, 48, a farmer of Kashini Gangarampur village under Charghat upazila, has been harvesting honey for 12 years by rearing native bee species serena in 15 boxes.
Shasthi said both the demand and market price of honey of native bee species are comparatively high.
He is hopeful of selling 120 kg of honey valued at around Tk 45,000 with a net profit of Tk 30,000 this year.
Like previous years, Ataur Rahman, another farmer of Namajgram village under Godagari upazila, remains involved in honey harvesting in mustard fields since 2000.
Dulal Hossain, a farmer of Purba Bamnal village under Godagari Upazila, said he collects 25 kg of honey from each of the boxes per month on average.
He earned more than Tk six lakh every winter season by selling the honey collected from the mustard fields, he said.
“I’ve received mustard seed, fertiliser, honeybee, training and digital honey-collecting box, tools and wares as support from the government,” Hossain said.
This government assistance inspired him to collect honey to a greater extent, he added.
Like him, many other farmers are engaged in harvesting honey after getting support from the government and leveraging the existing natural resources.
Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer Atanu Sarker said a group of farmers was given support in each union of the region to promote the honey collection.
As honey harvesting is lucrative in terms of economic value, the number of honey harvesters from mustard fields is increasing gradually, locals said.
Honey bee rearing in mustard farming fields is very much helpful for proper pollination of the cash crop. So, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) always inspires and motivates the farmers to rear honey bees after adopting special projects.
DAE Deputy Director Mozder Hossain said honey hunting is being expanded to many new areas every year contributing a lot towards employment generation side by side with boosting honey production.
Meanwhile, around 3.70 lakh tonnes of mustard yield are expected to be harvested from around 2.48 lakh hectares of lands in all eight districts under Rajshahi division during the current Rabi season.
The DAE has set a target of producing 1.70 lakh tonnes of mustard from 1.10 lakh hectares of land in four districts of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while another 2.01 lakh tonnes from 1.37 lakh hectares of land in four other districts of Bogura Agricultural Zone.
Honey collection has been completed in Jamalpur district this Rabi season through collecting a huge quantity of honey that broke the last year’s record.
The DAE Office said they have collected 44,601 kg of honey from the mustard field under seven upazilas of the district which is 11,000 kg more than the last year.
According to the DAE, farmers of the district cultivated mustard on 32,500 hectares of land in the fiscal year of 2022-2023 but honey was collected from 6,611 hectares of land only which is 1,696 hectares more than last year.
Honey collectors set up 6,312 bee boxes in all the seven upazilas of the district which is 1,464 more than earlier.
The office said the highest 14,315 kg of honey was collected from Melandah upazila which was followed by 11,780 kg from Islampur upazila, 7,825 kg from Madarganj, 4,560 kg from Dewanganj, 3,567 kg from Sarishabari, 1,820 kg from Bakshiganj and 734 kg from Jamalpur Sadar upazila.
Deputy Director of the DAE Zakia Sultana said the honey collectors got huge honey as farmers of the district cultivated mustard on extensive land this year.
Honey farming has become popular in Bangladesh while the demand for pure honey is increasing at home and abroad day by day, she added.
