Forest Dept Evolves Plan To Provide Training To Beekeepers In KP

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department has chalked out a comprehensive plan to provide professional training to hundreds of beekeepers aimed at to increase honey production in the province

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jul, 2019 ):Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department has chalked out a comprehensive plan to provide professional training to hundreds of beekeepers aimed at to increase honey production in the province.

Director Non Timber Forests Produce (NTFP), Forest Department KP, Iftikhar Ahmed told APP that a comprehensive plan has been prepared to provide professional training to hundreds of beekeepers working in different districts of the province.

He said climate change has direct effects on development, behaviour, physiology and production of bees and his department was ready to assist beekeepers in terms of colony management, queens breeding, honey extractions, pollination of crops, nutrition and diseases control programmes.

He said honeybees were lifeline of Pakistan as they play 80pc role in pollination process besides making a significant contribution in food chain and life saving medicines.

Iftikhar said demands of Pakistan's honey especially bair and palosa have increased manifold at international markets because of its usage by many pharmaceuticals companies in medicines, cosmetics, sweets products and food processing industries.

He said Pakistan honey was exported mostly to Gulf States including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Yeman, Iraq, Qatar, Libya, Afghanistan, Malaysia, USA, China, Singapore, Azerbaijan, Mangolia etc due it's better taste and quality and called for better marketing to increase honey exports.

Iftikhar said KP was the most suitable province for apiculture due to massive increase of beesflora plants courtesy to Billion Trees Afforestation Project (BTAP) under which over 1.20 billion sapling were planted during 2014-17 that gave new life to dwindling beekeeping sector.

He said beekeeping has started thriving in KP after a long time due to substantial increase in beesflora plants and all those beekeepers who had abandoned their business are returning back.

He said introduction of national bee breeding programme would help meet local demands for good quality queens and efforts should be made to promote commercial beekeeping, apiculture' products and services.

He stressed the need for promotion of beekeeping as a productive business operation and important component of forests and agricultural ecosystem to compete at international level.