Tanvi and Himanshu Patel, from Gujarat, are one of the growing numbers of people who are willingly leaving corporate jobs to pursue organic farming. They quit their jobs after discovering that the farmer who had rented their farmland had sprayed it with toxins.
Himanshu was a mechanical engineer and was working as a senior manager at the JSW power plant when this happened. Tanvi worked as a teacher.
Journey Of Making Organic Honey
The organic honey farming journey of the couple began in the year 2019. During a hunt for the alternative method of using chemicals, beekeeping came up as an option. They experimented on their own and discovered that by receiving enough pollination, the growth of the crops increased. They later got trained in beekeeping from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra. They started making organic honey while incorporating their beekeeping expertise. Initially, they started with just 1 to 2 wooden crates of honey and they slowly increased the number of crates with time reaching up to 500 crates.
The Honey Making Set Up
Bees can die immediately by inhaling chemicals even from a distance of 3-4 kilometers. Tanvi and Himanshu lost nearly Rs 3,60,000 when their bees inhaled chemicals from a nearby farm and died.
At the beginning of the next season, from October to April, the couple migrated their boxes at the very end of their farm.
They decided to buy honeybees from beekeepers and gathered eight beehives in each wooden crate, bringing a total of 30,000 bees.
They bought the beehives during the season at Rs.4000; otherwise, they can cost up to Rs.17000. They received the beehives crates from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra. They began the harvest action of the bees, which usually takes up to 12 days.
Income from beekeeping
Tanvi presently runs her own brand, 'Swadya,' and sells her products through social media. Tanvi and Himanshu have also targeted a number of local businesses in order to strengthen their grip. They presently have around 300 beehives, which generate approximately 9 tonnes of honey per year. Tanvi and Himanshu Patel earn approximately 12 lakhs per year from beekeeping.
