T Imtiwapang Aier, Deputy Secretary and Team Leader NBHM along with his officials and VBKC members from various Blocks at DUDA Guest House in Longleng Town on February 6. (Photo Courtesy: NBHM)
Sensitization and consultative meeting for Village Beekeepers Committees of Longleng District held
Longleng, February 6 (MExN): A sensitization and consultative meeting for the Village Beekeepers Committees (VBKCs) of Longleng District was organized by Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) at DUDA Guest House in Longleng Town on February 6.
Currently, a team of officials led by T Imtiwapang Aier, Deputy Secretary and Team Leader NBHM is visiting the various Apiaries scattered across Longleng District to gather first hand information from beekeepers.
The District level consultative meeting for VBKCs in Longleng is been held for the first time to promote beekeeping and honey in the District as well as to chalk out the problems faced by VBKCs and to sensitized about the mission of NBHM after the completion of the tour.
Speaking at the meeting, the NBHM team leader appealed the beekeepers in the district to discard subsidy culture thoroughly from their mind and prepared themselves to solve any difficulties through their innovative ideas. He was referring to the fund constrained face by the mission but assured the beekeepers that NBHM is channelizing its fund streams for assistance to genuine beekeeper. “Interest in beekeeping is very important than following the popular trend of beekeeping,” he asserted.
Aier informed that early the State was producing only 120 metric tonnes of honey; however, after the launching of NBHM in 2007, the production of honey in 2017-18 has increases to 420 metric tonnes and simultaneously increase in food production too .
In this regard, he said beekeeping does not required manual hardwork like other farm cultures but it need time and proper management which result in huge returns.
He suggested the VBKCs to form a beekeepers’ federation under Longleng District to avail the various schemes and facilities from allied sectors.
“The art of scientific beekeeping should be thoroughly known by each beekeeper because the logistic support and other assistants provided by the Mission will be useless,” he said.
Aier further informed that the Government of India is giving much importance to the womenfolk in beekeeping sector and encouraged the women to take up beekeeping profession.
More than 40 beekeepers from various VBKC Blocks under Longleng District attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, two-day basic training on beekeeping was conducted at Yachen Village on February 6. The training is been organized by NBHM under RKVY project.
The resource persons in training camp were Er Nitoshe Kinimi, Team Member Longleng Incharge and Francis Kikon Project Assistant NBHM.
Topics on Pollination, Management of Bee Colonies, Division of Bee Colonies, site selection along with practical workshops were imparted to the participants.
Altogether 15 participants are currently attending the training programme.
This was stated in a press release issued by Er Nitoshe Kinimi, Team Member Longleng Incharge.
