Principal Secretary Agriculture Production Department, Sundep Kumar Nayak today convened an interactive meeting of growers and officers to review Apiculture Development Scheme at Agriculture Complex Lal Mandi.The joint interactive meeting was attended by entrepreneurs, beekeepers and officers of the Department. Among the officers Director Agriculture Kashmir, Director Law Enforcement, Director Finance APD, MD Agro Industries Development Corporation, concerned Joint Director’s, Chief Agriculture Officers, Apiculture Development Officers and Apiculture Development Assistants attended the meeting.Principal Secretary while interacting with the Bee-keepers and Entrepreneurs sought suggestions from them for making the Apiculture Industry profitable and emphasized upon the officers to devise programmes in order to give boost to the Apiculture Sector.
He also deliberated upon the officers that Apiculture sector is among the priorities of Chief Minister’s intervention Projects and Kupwara district has been taken as Model District under Apiculture Sector. The meeting was informed that the Department is providing training and awareness to the farmers interested in Bee keeping and Department provides assistance of Rs. 20000 per unit of ten colonies to the farmers under RKVY scheme. It was also informed that Department is having about 45000 colonies with an annual production of about 4300 quintals of honey in Kashmir Division. The Beekeepers and Entrepreneurs requested the chair for creating better marketing facilities, creation of Bee Colony Multiplication Centres and supply of medicines to control the disease through the Department. MD Agro Industries assured the Entrepreneurs that the Department will facilitate marketing of honey by procurement on commercial prices.