Solan, October 17, 2025 — The growing recognition of honey’s health benefits has led to a sharp rise in bee colonies across the world, a trend that underscores the need for greater traceability and quality assurance to maintain consumer trust, officials said on Thursday.
Speaking at a two-day state-level seminar on beekeeping at Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni, Horticulture Commissioner and Mission Director of the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM), Prabhat Kumar, noted that India’s honey production has witnessed a remarkable jump—from 76 metric tonnes in 2013 to 1.52 lakh metric tonnes today.
“The surge in global and domestic demand for natural honey has encouraged farmers to take up beekeeping in large numbers,” Kumar said. “To ensure the quality and purity of honey, seven modern testing laboratories have been established across the country under the Bee Development Committee.”
He also discussed the growing role of technology in modern apiculture. “Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and machine learning can revolutionise beekeeping by improving productivity, disease management, and traceability,” Kumar noted, urging farmers to adopt digital tools and register their colonies on the Madhu Kranti Portal.
Kumar pointed out that 59 farmer producer organisations (FPOs) have already been established to help beekeepers collectively market their produce. He encouraged honey producers to diversify into value-added products and by-products to enhance income, while also warning about the risks of colony collapse disorder caused by excessive pesticide use. “We need to be conscious of how chemical use affects bees’ navigation, foraging, and reproduction,” he said.
Calling queen breeding an underexplored opportunity, Kumar urged universities and research institutions to engage schoolchildren in understanding the ecological services provided by bees and to encourage youth participation in the knowledge-driven economy.
UHF Nauni Vice-Chancellor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, who presided over the seminar, said the growing interest in beekeeping reflected a collective understanding of its ecological and economic importance. “We have all realised how crucial bees are in maintaining ecological balance,” Chandel said. He expressed concern over the increasing sale of syrup-based honey and emphasised the need for advanced laboratories to ensure quality testing.
Chandel also called for research focused on protecting beekeepers from post-production market fluctuations and stressed the importance of collective branding. “Marketing and branding efforts must go hand in hand with research. Farmers should make full use of university research stations and Krishi Vigyan Kendras for regular interaction and training,” he said.
He further advised beekeepers to prioritise rearing of native species such as Apis cerana, which are well-suited to the regional climate and play a key role in ecological conservation.
The university, in collaboration with the National Bee Board, is implementing a project titled “Honey and Other Hive Products Production Model for Sustainable High-Hill Beekeeping in Himachal Pradesh.” Under the project, mud hives have been established at five research centres to conserve Apis cerana, with demonstrations and hands-on training sessions being conducted for farmers, orchardists, and trainees across the state.
The seminar, attended by over 250 beekeepers and farmers from across Himachal Pradesh, concluded with a call for integrating modern science with traditional practices to make beekeeping a sustainable and profitable venture.
