Guwahati: The North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC) is taking a series of steps for promotion of beekeeping in the North East.

Two organisations with whom extensive collaboration has been undertaken towards this are North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) and National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC).

NECTAR is an autonomous society, set up under Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, with its headquarters in Shillong. NBCFDC is a central government unit under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

According to the Managing Director of NERAMAC, Rajiv Ashok, “NERAMAC will continue to play and expand its role in support of farmers and economically weaker sections of society in the NER (North East Region)."

Apiculture is the scientific method of rearing honey-bees. Traditional rearing of bees has been popular in the NER as a source of supplementary income and nutrition. However, if done scientifically, beekeeping can produce transformational results and is thus being promoted actively by the Government of India.

The initiative has started to bear results, NECTAR is looking at an ambitious project of bee box and tool kit distribution in a pay-back mode for which NERAMAC has been onboarded. Bee-boxes have been/are being distributed in Nagaland (300), Manipur (200) Meghalaya (200), and with the Bodoland Territorial Council (650) in the first tranche. Considerable many more are expected through the coming year.

With NBCFDC, Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP), bee box and toolkit distribution is planned in five of the eight states of NER with Other Backward Classes population.

Ahom Innao village in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh was the first beneficiary of the proposal where 60 individuals, mainly women entrepreneurs were trained and handed over 180 bee boxes.

In less than a month, results are showing and honey has started to be retailed by them in the local market. The balance of the states would get the assistance in the coming financial year.

Upskilling is also being taken up under the aegis of National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC), under Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, GoI. In this, three major skilling initiatives in the form of Short Term Training (STT) courses in Organic Farming, Gardener training and Mushroom Growing is ongoing in Kamrup (R), Barpeta and Goalpara districts of Assam respectively. A similar programme is planned with NBCFDC as well which is planned for launch in the coming month.

A large number of women are participating in these upskilling initiatives, thus opening up an option of a secondary source of income for the family.

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