Low production, market price upset Sirajganj honey collectors

SIRAJGANJ, Jan 31: Due to unexpected low production and market price, a good number trained up honey collectors in Sirajganj district are severely disheartened this season.

The honey extractors of the region are passing worried time as they are incurring huge losses, said beekeeper Hossail Ali under Kazipur upazila. If the price rises from Tk 250 to 400, they will be able to recoup the losses, he added.

Applying their efforts to collect honey, the beekeepers of the district had collected over 2500 maunds of fresh honey from the local mustard fields last year, but the production will not be more than 2000 maunds this year.

The reason behind the reduced production is falling off of mustard flower immaturely due to severe dry situation instead of dense fog in the agro-zone. Reduction in production and price of honey during the mustard season is compelling beekeepers to leave the profession. 

Beekeeper Sobhan Hossain under Royganj upazila said he had set up his 230 bee colonies spending Tk 0.3 million in the mustard fields under the upazila this season and got around only 20 maunds of fresh honey.

This correspondent came to know from queries that a company had bought each maund of fresh honey from the farmers at Tk 6,400 last year but this year the company is offering Tk 4,300 per maund only. 

The circumstances of around 120 apiculturists, including around 55 commercial honey cultivators in the district are the same, district beekeeper president said.

The number of apiculturists in the district is decreasing because of different problems, including inability to get right prices of the product due to lack of necessary modern marketing facilities, he added.

Necessary technology-based modern training will be given to the local apiculturists from next year for increasing their number as well as increasing honey production, said a Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) official.

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