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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Honey export ban leads to huge crash in product prices by Amrita Chaudhry

Honey export ban leads to huge crash in product prices by Amrita Chaudhry

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published Published on Dec 20, 2010   modified Modified on Dec 20, 2010

Many bee-keepers in danger of losing livelihood, warn industrialists

The ban on export of honey has led to a massive crash in the prices of honey, which has hurt the bee-keepers of the state. Expressing concern about the state of affairs, Kashmir Apiaries Exports/ Little Bee Impex CMD Jagjit Singh Kapoor said, “As a result of this ban, honey prices in the country are likely to crash further and the vulnerable bee-keepers will lose their sustainable livelihood as they will be forced to abandon bee-keeping, which will be a major setback to the bee-keeping industry in India. Moreover, the decrease in honey production due to this ban will also threaten food security in the country because honey bees play an important role in boosting crop productivity by crop pollination.”

Kapoor apprised Central Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairperson and former Andhra Pradesh Governor Kumud Joshi, who visited the company on Thursday, of the seriousness of the situation. Company CEO A K Singh added, “Last year we had paid the bee-keepers Rs 90 for every kg of honey at the farm gate. However, this year with the ban on export to premium destinations like Europe, we will not be able to give farmers any thing beyond Rs 60 per kg.”

However, for his own company Singh prefers to stay optimistic. “I hope to grow my exports by at least 20 per cent. Last year we exported honey worth Rs 222 crore which means something like 20,000 metric tonnes. This year, with this ban imposed on us in the month of July-August, I will stay optimistic and push for 20 per cent growth.”

According to Singh, the problem “is due to the absence of clear-cut parameters by any food testing agency. Exports are governed by a body which falls under the Ministry of Commerce. They have set regulations and limits for antibiotics and heavy metals. But for the domestic market the three governing agencies AGMARK, BIS and PFA have three different sets of parameters. We cannot ask the farmer to produce one kind of honey for the domestic market and another for export. We need to create one set of standards which all have to follow.”

The company on its own behalf has launched a nationwide bee-keeping training programme at its Lee Bee International Institute of Beekeeping & Agro-Enterprises (IBA). So far more than 6,000 bee-keepers and farmers across the country have been trained in producing quality honey.

A high-tech honey testing laboratory has also been established for checking contamination in honey due to antibiotics and other residues. The ultra-modern lab, according to Kapoor, has invested some Rs 10 crore to set up this lab.

He further informed that the company, in order to raise the per-capita consumption of honey in India (which at present is very low compared to other countries), Kashmir Apiaries Exports has taken an initiative to open 100 honey retail shops in the country. of these, seven are already functional in Delhi and Punjab.


The Indian Express, 18 December, 2010, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/honey-export-ban-leads-to-huge-crash-in-product-prices/726160/


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