By: Hussain Shah (Former Director Research, SKUAST Kashmir and Eminent Consultant)
Jammu & Kashmir represents one of the most important beekeeping areas in the entire country due to its vast diversity of natural resources and salubrious climate. The region is home to four species of honey bees—Apis cerana, Apis florea, Apis dorsata and the exotic species Apis mellifera—which coexist without competition for resources. Traditional beekeeping with Apis cerana dates back to 2500–2700 BC, when pots, logs, cavities, walls and structures made of various plant materials were used for beekeeping. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, movable frames were introduced, marking a major shift in beekeeping practices.
Kashmir Valley in particular is known for its floral gaiety, with numerous cultivated and wild plants blooming from early spring to late fall. This prolonged flowering period provides abundant raw material in the form of nectar and pollen to honey bees for honey production, as well as wax for commercial usage. It is quite evident that the income from agriculture through the use of honey bees in crop pollination enhances crop productivity by about 15–20 percent, far exceeding the returns from honey and wax products alone.
In spite of such enormous potential, there exists a wide gap between the present number of bee colonies and the number that could be supported. As per the recommendations of the National Commission on Agriculture, three colonies of bees per hectare are desirable. Accordingly, Jammu & Kashmir has the capacity to support more than five lakh colonies, and this potential could rise to as high as fifteen lakh colonies if the sector is planned on scientific lines. Beekeeping could thus emerge as one of the most lucrative enterprises in the agricultural sector, generating multi-level employment opportunities ranging from production and processing to organised marketing.
Therefore, the need of the time is to develop proper skill development centres to attract and train the required manpower in order to harness the advantage of Kashmir honey’s superior quality compared to honey produced elsewhere in the country. This superiority is reflected in its lower water content of around 17 percent, as against about 25 percent in honey produced in other regions, besides a favourable composition of fructose and glucose at approximately 38 percent and 31 percent respectively.
