Garhwal Post Bureau
Rishikesh, 8 Jul: State Agriculture and Horticulture Minister Ganesh Joshi formally inaugurated the office of State Beekeeping Council Vice President Girish Dobal at Hanumanpuram, Ganganagar, here, today.
On the occasion, Minister Joshi congratulated Dobal and also felicitated individuals from various fields for their commendable contributions to society. As part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ (One Tree in Mother’s Name) campaign, he also planted a fruit-bearing sapling.
In his address, Minister Joshi stated that beekeeping has emerged as a strong medium for enhancing farmers’ incomes. Apart from earning through honey and its by-products, cross-pollination has significantly improved the productivity and quality of horticultural crops. He emphasised that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, beekeeping is receiving special attention as part of the goal to double farmers’ income. With over 65% of Uttarakhand’s area covered by forests, the state holds immense potential for beekeeping. It not only aids honey production but also boosts agricultural productivity and creates rural employment opportunities.
Minister Joshi expressed his gratitude to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chief Minister Dhami for the in principle approval of approximately Rs 3,800 crore for agricultural schemes in Uttarakhand.
He further shared that there are currently about 8,000 beekeepers managing over 95,000 colonies in the state, resulting in an annual honey production of approximately 1,900 tonnes. Honey derived from forest tulsi (wild basil) in Badrinath is witnessing rising demand. He noted that Uttarakhand ranks 9th in honey production nationwide. Under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission, modern scientific techniques are being promoted. Farmers are being provided subsidised bee boxes and equipment, and special training camps are being held for women and small/marginal farmers.
The Minister also emphasised the future plan of integrating beekeeping into digital platforms for comprehensive data collection and management.
Present at the event were former Cabinet Minister and Rishikesh MLA Premchand Aggarwal, Mayor Shambhu Paswan, Girish Dobal, Horticulture Mission Director Mahendra Pal, Joint Director Dr Ratan Kumar, former district president Ravindra Rana, Brijesh Sharma, Mandal President Manoj Dhyani, Monu Sharma, Pankaj Gupta, Sumit Panwar, and several others.
