OUR CORRESPONDENT
HAFLONG: Dr Manha Bathari, Junior Scientist & Principal Investigator of DBT project, from Assam Agricultural University-Zonal Research Station, Diphu organized an Input distribution and training programme at P Simplangdisa and Jatinga in Dima Hasao under a project sponsored by Department of Biotechnology, GOI entitled “Sustainable rural Livelihood through Scientific bee keeping in hill district of Assam”.
In the programme the farm families were supported with various inputs like honey bee boxes with bee colonies, iron bee box stand, extractor, hand gloves, swarm catcher, bee veil, small hive tools, knife, smoker etc.
The programme aimed at popularizing scientific bee-keeping in the region as Dima Hasao being rich in biodiversity has a potential scope for bee keeping, Dr M Bathari said. The farmers were sensitized about the scientific bee-keeping technique and the benefits that lies in honey bee rearing. She encouraged the farm families and unemployed youths to take up bee-keeping as a new profession. The main aim for distributing the inputs is the first step in making sustainable rural livelihood and development of entrepreneur through scientific bee keeping in the district.
Apiculture is a subsidiary occupation and is the additional source of income to the farm family. It requires low investments and so can be taken up by small, marginal and land less farmers and educated unemployed youth. As it requires less energy and easy to handle bee colonies, farm women can easily get involved into bee keeping. In the present day bio-farming concept, bees are considered as input for crop production. Hence, bees are considered as good friend of mankind, Dr Manha Bathari said in the programme. Dr M Bathari and her team is running the project in three different districts Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao and Karimganj with a drive for conservation of bees, sustaining lives and provide a way for source of income. So far 107 farmers have been benefited from the project covering all the 3 districts.
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