Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) Bandipora, Ali Afsar Khan on Wednesday inaugurated a two days Seminar on Bee-keeping at Town Hall Bandipora. The programme was organized by Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare department Bandipora under National Bee and Honey Mission (NBHM) and was attended by President Municipal Council Bandipora Basharat Hussain Najar, Cheif Agriculture Officer (CAO) Javid Iqbal Samoon, District Subject Matter Specialist Abdul Majeed Lone besides beekeepers and progressive farmers.
Speaking at the inaugural session, the ADDC marked the importance of beekeeping as a source of income for the farmers. He said that it is encouraging that a large number of youth in Bandipora district are taking beekeeping as a main venture to earn income and livelihood. Encouraging youth to come forward and establish beekeeping units of their own, the ADDC urged them to take benefit from the programme and schemes being run by the department for the promotion of beekeeping and other allied activities.
Experts from SKUAST-K were also present on the occasion and highlighted the importance and proper management in bee keeping. On the occasion, Javid Iqbal Samoon said that objectives of the 2-day's event are to create awareness about the importance of beekeeping in enhancing crop yields and promoting biodiversity. He said that the farmers will gain valuable knowledge into the symbiotic relationship between agriculture and apiculture.
He further stated that beekeeping as an enterprise can be a significant step for boosting the income and livelihood opportunities for the youth including landless farmers. He said that the government has kept available different schemes for the welfare of farmers community. He urged farmers to come farward and reap the benefits of available schemes for overall socio-economic development.