In Tamil Nadu's Nagercoil, Free Beekeeping Training Camp Organised For Farmers

Bees and other pollinators are vital for the working of the ecosystem and help in the production of a diverse range of fruits, nuts and seeds. Beekeeping is an essential work considering this aspect in mind. Now, a beekeeping training camp is being organised free of cost to the farmers at the Agricultural Research Station, Thirupathisaram in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. An Associate Professor named Lata from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences told News18 more about the same.

She said that the farmers are being trained in various courses including beekeeping so that their incomes can be increased. According to Professor Lata, beekeeping training is also quite vital for the rural youth to work as entrepreneurs. She added that apiculture (the job of keeping bees) is quite important for the production of honey, a highly nutritious food. In India, honey is also used for medicinal purposes and as a daily food in Western countries, for its nutritional value. Lata remarked, “Beekeeping is a very beautiful art and only if you know it well, you can do it well, so we provide a lot of training to farmers and youth.”

Some people have received a lot of success in the field of beekeeping including Gobinder Singh Randhawa. According to a report published in The Better India, he hails from a family of farmers living in the Landa village in Punjab. The portal reported that Gobinder was inspired to proceed with the apiculture business with the then village head, Sardar Baldev Singh and Sardar Jagjit Singh Kapoor.

Gobinder attended a week-long course at the Punjab Agriculture University and started beekeeping with two other friends. In an interview with this portal, Gobinder said, “The prospect seemed lucrative and we took a loan of Rs 2.8 lakh for the business to buy 120 honey boxes.”

Gobinder’s two friends soon left the project in between after they felt that the business would not pick up. He was then left to run the business alone. He also had to sell his family’s gold jewellery apart from this challenge. These risks, however, paid off and now he is the owner of a business earning him crores of rupees.