Many people have changed their fortunes through honey harvesting activities in Rajshahi region including its vast Barind tract, reports BSS.
Due to its economic value, number of honey harvesters in mustard farming fields is increasing gradually as the composite farming is being adjudged as lucrative means of boosting mustard yield in the region. Like the previous years, the harvesters have set up honey collecting boxes at different areas this season.
Shasthi Paharia, 48, a farmer of Kashini Gangarampur village under Charghat Upazila, has been harvesting honey for long 11 years through rearing native bee species ‘serena’ in 12 boxes. Shasthi said both demand and market price of honey of native bee species are comparatively high.
He is hopeful of selling 120 kilograms of honey valued at around Taka 45,000 with net profit of Taka 30,000 this year. His success inspires many of his co-villagers for honey harvesting.
Like previous years, Ataur Rahman, another farmer of Namajgram village under Godagari upazila, remains involved in honey harvesting in mustard field since 2000.
At the initial stage, he gained profit through setting up 10 boxes that encourages him to enhance the number of boxes in the following years.
In this season, he has set up 270 boxes in different areas. Ataur Rahman said he has harvested 15 kilograms of honey from every box in last 12 days. He earned more than Taka six lakh every winter season through his commercial honey harvesting. Ashraful Islam Sumon, a farmer of Hasnabad village under Godagari Upazila, said the honey harvesting made him income-generator and self-confident.
He has collected 12 kilograms of honey from every box in the last seven days. Last year, he got 38 mounds of honey from 67 bee-colonies in Borobilla area under Paba Upazila. He sold those in both local and regional markets.
Suman said honey hunting is being expanded to many new areas every year contributing a lot towards employment generation side by side with boosting honey production. Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Shamsul Haque said honey farming has gained popularity in the region as many people attained success through commercial honey harvesting.
He added that honey bee rearing in mustard farming field is very much helpful for proper fertilization of the crop. So, the DAE always inspires and motivates the farmers to this end after adopting special project.
Prof Redwanur Rahman of the Institute of Environmental Sciences in Rajshahi University told that honey farmers need technological support, financial assistance and a sound of marketing system for making their business more profitable. Meanwhile, farmers and agriculturists are expecting to get over 2.93 lakh tonnes of mustard seed yield from 2.05 lakh hectares of land in all eight districts under Rajshahi division during the current season. At present, the entire of the farming fields have turned into yellowish, creating an eye-catching look.
Deb Dulal Dhali, Additional Director of DAE, said 65,000 farmers were given seeds and fertilizers worth around Taka 5.20 crore free of cost for cultivating mustard in the division under the government’s agriculture incentive programme.
