Under the scheme of the National Bee Board (NBB), Narendra Singh Tomar launched Amul Honey, a product of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy, attended the inaugration on Tuesday. In his speech, Tomar said the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission, which has a budgetary allocation of Rs. 500 crore and is being implemented in the country, is important in increasing income of small farmers.
According to Tomar, 86% of all farmers are small farmers in India. Small farmers need to be linked to other aspects of agriculture, such as beekeeping, in order to develop their incomes.
Announcing the launch of five regional honey testing labs and 100 mini honey testing labs across the country, he stated that the quality of honey is a major concern for the country. “It should be our constant effort that the quality of our honey products should also meet the global standards as there are lots of export opportunities in this sector”, he stated. According to him, as part of India’s commitment to promote and develop beekeeping, the Government will provide all the necessary support.
In appreciating the efforts of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), Tomar said Amul had expanded its business operations in the milk processing sector and established itself as an international brand. Further, Amul is also a significant contributor to the overall development of the dairy sector of the country because it provides employment opportunities to marginal farmers. GCMMF was also assured by the minister that the agriculture ministry would examine a proposal to set up a testing lab in Gujarat.
GCMMF was congratulated on the launch of its honey product by Parshottam Rupala. Also, he expressed satisfaction at the launch of Amul Honey after it had been tested to the highest global standards. The promotion of beekeeping and the sale of honey through cooperatives would boost rural economies, he said. Also, he encouraged farmers and beekeepers to produce beeswax, pollen, and royal jelly in addition to honey because these products have high demand and offer higher prices in Indian and international markets.
Sanjay Agarwal, Secretary (A&FW), stated the whole scenario of the beekeeping in the country has changed since the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) was implemented, and priority was given to ensuring the quality of honey, aggregating beekeepers, and providing infrastructures such as honey testing labs and Madhukranti portal to stop adulteration.
In his remarks on the occasion, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Managing Director RS Sodhi mentioned that dairy cooperatives and their infrastructure could be used simultaneously for the production of Amul Honey throughout the country through their existing set up of 84 dairy plants.
Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Kailash Choudhary and Shobha Karandlaje as well as Senior Officials of The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Atul Chaturvedi attended the ceremony. Among those attending this event virtually from Gujarat were Shamalbhai Patel, Chairman, GCMMF; Valamjibhai Humbal, Vice Chairman, GCMMF; and Shankar Chaudhary, Chairman, Banas Dairy.
