World Bee Day was observed with great enthusiasm today, with the Union Agriculture Minister stating that the government is working hard under Prime Minister Modi's leadership to bring about a "Sweet Revolution" in the country. In the presence of Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, a national level function was held in Tent City-II, Ekta Nagar, Narmada, Gujarat on this occasion.
Tomar opened an exhibition at the event venue as well as Honey Testing Laboratories and Processing Units in virtual mode from Gujarat at Pulwama, Bandipura, and Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir, Tumkur in Karnataka, Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Pune in Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand.
Tomar stated that the goal of Prime Minister Modi is to empower small farmers. He stated that approximately 55 percent of India's population lives in rural areas and that the country will progress only when the rural population advances.
The 'National Beekeeping and Honey Mission,' a centrally funded scheme, aims to establish 5 large regional and 100 small honey and other Bee Products testing laboratories, of which 3 world-class state-of-the-art laboratories have been established, and 25 small laboratories are in the process of being established. The Indian government is also assisting in the establishment of Processing Units.
In the country, more than 1.25 lakh metric tonnes of honey are produced, with more than 60 thousand metric tonnes of natural honey exported. To improve the quality of domestic honey and attract the global market, the Government of India and state governments are collaborating and focusing on beekeeper capacity building through the use of scientific techniques.
Tomar recalled that when PM Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat, he pioneered new directions in the state's development. His administration remained committed to the development of Gujarat's poor and small farmers. Gujarat performed admirably under the leadership of PM Modi in terms of poverty alleviation, job creation, the development of health facilities, and the adequate availability of irrigation to farmers.
The state has evolved into a development model. During the programme, farmers from various states interacted with the Union Agriculture Minister and other dignitaries, sharing their stories about how beekeeping has increased their income.
Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, stated that the government has provided farmers with the necessary resources as well as new technology through various beekeeping schemes. The government is developing a mission mode to promote beekeeping in order to increase farmer income. According to Choudhary, Prime Minister Modi has worked tirelessly for the betterment of farmers, even during the pandemic.
MatejaVodeb, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia, Konda Reddy Chavva, FAO Representative in India, Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) Dr. AbhilakshLikhi, Additional Secretary, DA&FW, Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Horticulture Commissioner, DA&FW, Meenish Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board, senior officers of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Government of Gujarat and large number of farmers/beekeepers and stakeholders associated with honey production participated in the event.
