Kolkata, 04 August (H.S.) : The Central Government on Tuesday informed Parliament that West Bengal produces 24.05 thousand metric tonnes of honey, including production from Malda district, and highlighted various initiatives undertaken to strengthen the state's beekeeping sector under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM).

Replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha raised by MP Isha Khan Choudhury, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Ramnath Thakur said the West Bengal Government has reported that beekeeping is actively practised in the Old Malda, Kaliachak and Ratua blocks of Malda district.

The minister said that under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission, financial assistance of ₹101.43 lakh was sanctioned in 2021-22 to the ICAR-Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture (ICAR-CISH), Malda, for establishing a Mini Honey Testing Laboratory. The laboratory is now operational and is being used by local beekeepers to test honey samples for antibiotic residues and C3 and C4 sugar content, ensuring quality and purity.

The Lok Sabha query had sought information on the absence of a NABL-accredited honey testing laboratory in Malda, the possibility of setting up a modern honey testing and processing facility, and the availability of financial assistance for such infrastructure.

The minister also informed the House that the Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of West Bengal, established an MSME Cluster Development Programme for honey production at Sahapur in Old Malda in 2015, with an investment of ₹1 crore.

He further stated that during 2024-25, financial assistance under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) enabled the distribution of bee boxes and bee colonies to 48 beekeepers in Malda district at a cost of ₹7.68 lakh.

Under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission, project-based financial assistance is available to eligible implementing agencies for establishing Integrated Beekeeping Development Centres (IBDCs), honey testing laboratories, bee disease diagnostic laboratories, quality nucleus stock development centres, bee breeding units, human resource development and capacity-building programmes, technology demonstrations, and women's empowerment through beekeeping.

The scheme also supports marketing, branding, value addition, and research and development in the beekeeping sector. Since 2021-22, the NBHM has supported 21 projects in West Bengal with a total financial outlay of ₹16.13 crore, the minister added.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh