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A deficiency of budgetary enactment from the authorities has deed apiculture farmers successful Karnataka, said farmers and officials successful the Horticulture Department.
The debased budgetary allocation has forced the section to supply lone 2 to 3 beekeeping boxes to farmers alternatively of providing minimum 10 boxes to each nether the State Apiculture Development Scheme.
Hemalata K., Senior Assistant Director, Horticulture Department (Apiculture), said, "In Karnataka, determination are astir 60,000 farmers progressive successful apiculture majorly located successful Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, and Shivamogga districts. Last year, successful 2025-26, the State recorded the accumulation of 858.113 tonnes of honey, generating a gross of ₹106.49 crore. This year, we person estimated the State to nutrient 1,200 tonnes of honey. While the imaginable to nutrient chromatic is precocious among farmers, the Budget allocated is low, ₹2 crore this year. We supply astir 2 to 3 beekeeping boxes to the farmers keeping the tiny Budget successful caput alternatively of providing a minimum of 10 boxes arsenic per the existent demand. The beekeeping container contains atleast 5 to six frames with bee colonies and queen bee.”
According to the department, the outgo of each bee container is ₹4,500 of which 75% is paid by the authorities arsenic subsidy and 25% is paid by the farmers. This is simply a determination directed to promote apiculture successful the State. There are 2 types of bees usually recovered successful India, including Apis Cerana Indica and Apis Mellifera. Under the scheme, the authorities provides container that comes with Apis Cerana Indica arsenic it requires little flowers to cod honey, portion Mellifera requires flowers successful immense fig to nutrient desired quantity of honey.
“The farmers tin besides use for beekeeping boxes nether the National Beekeeping and Horticulture Mission (NBHM) which besides provides subsidy of up to lone 40%. Though determination is simply a proviso to supply up to 59 beekeeping boxes nether the NBHM, farmers similar to bargain nether the State scheme, owed to 75% subsidy. If much Budget is provided, past much beekeeping boxes tin beryllium fixed to the farmers and conscionable their demands. For 1 litre, it costs determination astir ₹500 to ₹600. The farmers besides nutrient bee wax and its products similar articulator balm and different tegument products,” Ms. Hemalatha added.
Rajappa, a migratory beekeeper successful Karnataka, has been into apiculture for much than 2 decades. “I excessively applied for the beekeeping boxes nether the State Apiculture Development Scheme and was fixed 4 boxes. The State authorities indispensable summation the Budget 3 fold to supply atleast 10 beekeeping boxes. The request is precocious among farmers crossed the State arsenic it leads to employment, procreation of products similar honey, wax and further revenue.”
He added, “These days, farmers from semi-arid regions similar Belagavi, Gadag, Koppal, etc. are besides buying beekeeping boxes for the intent of pollination than producing honey. Pollination tin support their fields and harvest cultivation healthy.”
Not conscionable farmers, immoderate radical successful Bengaluru person developed beekeeping arsenic hobby. A beekeeping adjunct with the Horticulture Department is 1 specified hobbyist bee keeper. “Beekeeping is my hobby and I person kept 2 bee boxes connected the terrace of my house. Despite the dense concretisation, I americium capable to extract chromatic doubly successful a twelvemonth betwixt October and May. Under the State scheme, radical were fixed 4 boxes earlier. As against thousands of applications we get lone a fewer 100 beekeeping boxes, which person to beryllium arsenic distributed. This year, we are yet to person the boxes,” helium said.
