Status and Prospects of Migratory beekeeping in Punjab
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Date
2024
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Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Abstract
The study entitled “Status and Prospects of Migratory Beekeeping in Punjab” was conducted in the seven districts of Punjab: two from Majha (Amritsar and Gurdaspur), three from Malwa (Ludhiana, Sri Muktsar Sahib and Bathinda) and two from Doaba Region of Punjab (Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar). From each district, 30 migratory beekeepers were randomly selected, thus making a total of 210 migratory beekeepers. It was observed that till the data collection there were 5313 beekeepers in the state, out of which the maximum was falling in five districts of Punjab, namely Ludhiana, Shri Muktsar Sahib, Bathinda, Sangrur and Hoshiarpur, whereas minimum number were in Pathankot, Ropar, SAS Nagar and SBS Nagar districts. It was observed that the majority of the respondents started their beekeeping enterprise between the years 2010 and 2020. It was found that a large majority of the respondents had 100-200 and 200-300 colonies. The findings show that nearly half proportion of the respondents (48.57%) were able to harvest up to 10,000 Kg of honey annually from their migratory beekeeping units, and average honey produced per colony was found to be 36 Kg. For marketing of honey and other bee products, the majority of the respondents (56.67%) used a dual approach, selling their honey to both traders and consumers. It was observed that the majority (59.05%) of the respondents conducted between 5 and 7 migrations in a calendar year and on an average the beekeepers were spending 64 per cent of their time outside the state under migratory beekeeping. It was further found that on average, selected beekeepers traveled approximately 950±380Kilometers and incurred Rs. 412±85per colony on transport in a calendar year. It was observed that there were many "bee pasturages" in Punjab, with varying "honey flow periods" and "dearth periods" throughout the year. During the dearth of flora in the state, the bee keepers were migrating their bee colonies from the Punjab region to adjoining Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Madhya Pradesh states. The study found that mainly three routes map were followed by the selected beekeepers for bee flora. Various major bee floras tapped by the selected beekeepers (within or outside the state) were Mustard (Brassica juncea), Bajra (Pennisetum glaucum), Safeda (Eucalyptus), Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo), Beri (Zizphus sp.), Gobhi Saron (Brassica napus L.), Berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum), Litchi (Litchi chinensis), Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi), Acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), White clover (Trifolium repens), Amaltas (Cassia fistula), etc. The benefit cost ratio of the migratory beekeeping unit of 335 beehives was found to be 2.27. Challenges faced by beekeepers included issues like buyers' cartels, loss of colonies due to agrochemical use, reduction in bee flora, and various external factors. Despite these challenges, there was a notable willingness to upscale operations (40.95%) and establish processing units (31.90%), indicating the growth potential of migratory beekeeping in the state.
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Citation
Shiv Kumar (2024). Status and Prospects of Migratory beekeeping in Punjab (Unpublished M.Sc. thesis). Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.