Agriculture Minister launches honey testing laboratory project

On World Bee Day and in the auspicious context of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched the project of setting up a honey testing laboratory at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi. On this occasion, Tomar said that the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is fully dedicated to the village - poor - farmers. Taking a historic decision to increase subsidy, the prime minister has not let the increased price of fertilizer fall on the farmers.

Inaugurating the project to establish a regional honey quality testing laboratory at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) for quality testing of honey and other products of beekeeping under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission, Tomar said, “When farmers used to get a bag of DAP for Rs 1200, its actual price was Rs 1700. The government used to pay the remaining Rs 500. Due to a sudden increase in phosphoric acid prices, ammonia, at the international level, the price of DAP increased and staggered at Rs 2400. The government has provided a subsidy of just Rs 500 per bag in such a situation; it would have been available for the farmers for Rs 1900 per bag. However, Modi instructed that a single rupee should not burden our farmers. So, now the center has decided to maintain the price of DAP at Rs 1200 by granting support of Rs 700 as a subsidy of more than 140%.” Tomar thanked the prime minister for this historic decision.

Tomar said, “The production of honey is increasing in the country, and its export is also going up. Efforts are also being made for good quality honey. Small and medium scale farmers should come forward to take up this work to increase their income. This is why Modiji’s government has increased the pace in this direction. Rs 300 crore has been approved for the overall promotion of National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM), scientific beekeeping, and achieving the target of "sweet revolution". Besides, Rs 500 crore has been allocated to NBHM by the center under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Campaign. A world-class state of art Honey Testing Lab has been established at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Anand, with the help of Rs 5 crore. Apart from this, two more regional, big testing laboratories have been sanctioned with an amount of Rs 8 crore each for honey and other beekeeping products. Aiming at the development of this sector, 13 mini satellite district level laboratories for honey and other products of beekeeping and projects related to online registration and development of traceability sources of honey and other products and other important projects have also been approved. The Madhu Kranti portal for online registration and traceability system to track the source of honey and other bee products has also been launched two months ago.”

The union minister said that steps have also been initiated to make FPOs of beekeepers and other efforts to promote scientific beekeeping. Total 10 thousand FPOs are being made across the country. The prime minister has emphasized a self-reliant India. So, apart from an infrastructure fund worth 1 lakh crore rupees for the agricultural sector, the interests of beekeeping and other related areas have also been taken care of. Tomar said, “The production of honey should increase and quality should not be compromised. Even the smallest farmers should be engaged in this work. The states should make all possible efforts so that this sector becomes a major source of employment for those who have no land.”