Beekeeping has become a thriving occupation as a landless farmer can fetch the income equals to an agriculture farmer’s income who cultivates paddy in one hectare. Just by taking up honey bee farming with 15 bee boxes, any person can lead a comfortable life.
A bee box gives 15 to 20 litres of honey which is sold at Rs 250-350 per litre in the market. If a beekeeper keeps 100 or above bee boxes, the income he can earn from the business is unlimited. Since beekeeping requires less time, investment, manpower and infrastructure, one can take up the occupation comfortably and successfully.
Bee farming is not limited to only man. Some women have also started adopting the job successfully as an alternative livelihood option.
Among the women, Naorem Ningol Yumnam Ongbi Arundayanti Devi, (50) from Nambol Oinam is also running bee farming business successfully under the brand name Tanglei Khoihee . She began bee farming as a hobby with only five bee boxes. Buoyed by the initial success, she increased the number of bee boxes to 15 which gave her good honey yield.
Bee farming has now proved to be a thriving and lucrative business for me as I can comfortably supplement my family income, she said. She also collects honey from her locality at the wholesale rate. Her younger brother also supplies honey. She got married with Yumnam Rajen of Oinam Kangjeibung Mapal, Bishnupur district, Manipur and she is now a mother of one son and a daughter.
Her husband is a councilor of Oinam Nagar Panchayat, who extends his best support to his better half in running the business successfully. Arundayanti, who has completed B.Sc (Zoology) is also an entrepreneur in food processing industry which prepares variety of pickle items made of Fish, Chicken, Pork, Beef, Ngari, Thumyakpi and Khajing and Khajing for non-vegetarian groups and Soibum, Umorok, Mushroom, Hawaijar Akangba, Garlic, Turmeric, Heiribop, Mango, Mustard, Olive, Heimang Makup, Heitup, Heiku, Mange, Heining, Morok Atekpa (fresh Chilly), Heikru (gooseberry) for vegetarian groups.
“Another reason behind why I wanted to set up a food processing industry was to provide employment to needy widows who are eking out a living with the meager income they earn from casual jobs. Many widows are struggling for their children and families to keep the kitchen fire burning. I want to empower them, lift up their economic condition”, she said.
