Ranchi, July 31: Buoyed by the success of fruit production, the state horticulture mission now has a bee in its bonnet.

Farmers are being encouraged to promote bee-keeping, not just for honey production. Bees promote pollination, so more bees will enhance pollination on fruit-bearing trees and result in a better yield, say experts. Increasing the production of mangoes and litchis are chiefly on the state’s radar.

Under the aegis of the agriculture department, the horticulture mission will set up 1,500 colonies this year.

“The state has an immense potential in bee-keeping. It is cost effective and promises high economical returns for bee cultivators. Till last year, we succeeded in establishing 1,000 colonies. This year, our target is 1,500 and more,” said state horticulture mission director Prabhakar Singh.

“For bee cultivation, we are distributing specialised boxes (each costing Rs 1,500) free of cost to the farmers. With each box, we give one female bee as they attract male bees for breeding,” he added.

Officials are buoyed by the fact that compared to agriculture produce, fruit production is growing exponentially.

“In 2006-07, the total area in the state under mango production was 7.6 hectares, which is now 41,000 hectares this year. Similarly for litchi, 1,526 hectares has increased to 4,000 hectares. Citrus fruits like lemons that were grown on less than one hectare are now spread across 5,000 hectares. The state didn’t have any record of cashew production till 2006, but today we are recording cultivation on 7,000 hectares. All these figures can double in a year if bee-keeping is enhanced,” Singh told The Telegraph .

He added that honey production from the current figure of 2,500 quintal per year would also increase.

According to Singh, they were getting a positive response from farmers of Garhwa, Gumla, Lohardaga and Pakur districts for bee keeping. “Places like Garhwa and Gumla boast good orchards. Farmers have realised the benefits of cultivating bees first-hand. It is helping them increase mango production. At the same time, we are trying to spread our initiative to other parts of the state,” he added.

pTo get farmers interested, officials from the horticulture mission are planning workshops, field visits for farmers as well as market linkages to sell honey. “NGOs like Vikas Bharti and RK Mission co-ordinate with the farmers on our behalf. There are more than 50 outfits working in this field. We are trying new ideas to promote this skill,” he said.