MULTAN: South Punjab Secretary of Agriculture, Saqib Ali Ateel Wednesday emphasized placing honey bee hives at government as well as private orchards to earn handsome profits from honey production, besides countering the negative impact of climate change on crops.
“Beekeeping is an environmentally friendly activity that brings good earnings to farmers and fetches foreign exchange through exports,” said the secretary while addressing a one-day workshop at Mango Research Institute (MRI) Multan on Apiculture or Beekeeping.
Master trainers from Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture (MNSUA) gave training to officials of agriculture extension and adaptive research farms on techniques to get a higher honey bee population and enhanced honey production.
Ateel stressed the need to opt for modernity in Apiculture citing experts’ opinions who believed Pakistan was producing honey in a volume that was 25 per cent below its actual potential.
Better guidance can help farmers begin businesses on a commercial scale and earn extra for their family needs. He stated that the profitable business would also impact crop production positively due to their active role in pollination.
He said that different kinds of honey are produced in Pakistan. He advised farmers to avoid excessive pesticide spray on crops.
He asked officials to persuade mango, citrus, berry and guava farmers to install bee boxes in their orchards for beekeeping business and promised technical support to them.
He instructed to conduct a survey to identify government farms where bee boxes can be placed for honey production adding that initially at least two bee boxes be kept at each selected farm.
He said that farm managers would get prizes and appreciation certificates for good results regarding bee population and honey production.
Additional Secretary task force Imtiaz Ahmad Waraich, Dean Faculty MNSUA Dr Shafqat Saeed, deputy director agriculture information Naveed Asmat Kahlon and other officials were present.
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