India’s honey biz is not the bee’s knees, but it’s trying

India’s bee colonies have grown from 2.2 million to 3.4 million in three years. Now it dreams of growing them to 200 million. The hurdles, however, are legion

Mathematically, keeping India’s vast flora in mind, India’s 200 million beekeeping dream isn’t impossible

Reality, however, includes training and support for farmers as well as quality control for honey

Besides, there are almost too many unchecked, unorganised beekeepers unaware of common malpractices

Can India’s Honey Mission make it, despite the odds?

On visits to hill stations like Ooty in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, it isn’t uncommon to see bicycles plying the serpentine roads, their carriers laden with jars of honey. The sight of the jars, mounted precariously and sticky with the viscous liquid, draws tourists in droves, all sold on the idea of pristine, unprocessed honey. The sellers, whether they know it or not, are the lowest rung in a revolution quietly playing out across the country.

The honey and beekeeping industry in India has reportedly seen a 200% growth in the production of honey in 12 years—from 35,000 metric tonnes of honey to 105,000 metric tonnes today.

AUTHOR

Vasudevan Sridharan

Vasudevan Sridharan is an experienced journalist based in Bengaluru. His work has appeared in publications like South China Morning Post, Deutsche Welle, Haaretz and Mongabay.

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