Honey Festival encourages bee farmers in Chitwan

By Shaligram Nepal,Chitwan, Dec.30: The honey festival in east Chitwan is expected to promote and expand the market for locally produced honey.  The festival was organised along with the elephant festival to attract a significant number of visitors. The festival which began on December 20, aims to encourage local bee farmers. 

An attempt has been made to provide information about the benefits of honey by making a statue of a bee at the Khairhani Festival in East Chitwan. A separate stall has been set up at the Elephant Festival in Sauraha as well to promote honey. 

Mahesh Regmi, Chief of the Prime Minister Agricultural Modernisation Project, Project Implementation Unit, Chitwan, said that the festival aims to promote and increase the market of locally produced honey at a time when foreign honey is making its mark in the market.

Regmi said that there was enthusiastic participation from the visitors and people thronged to taste and buy the locally produced honey.

The PMAMP Project is promoting local products and people are allowed to taste honey for free.

He said that the project aims to inform consumers about the quality of honey and forbid low-quality honey in the market.

"We have organised the festival to promote the honey produced in the Chitwan district,’ Regmi said. 

"We have tried to inform international consumers about the quality of Nepali honey."

The festival leads to the promotion of honey in the international markets and international tourists attending the elephant festival are likely to attend the honey festival as well.

At the honey festival, honey from chiuri, rudilo, mustard, litchi, jamun and buckwheat can be tasted for free. The spectators have shown interest in tasting different flavours.

There are 12,500 hives within the bee zone of Chitwan. According to the project office, 460 tonnes of honey have been produced here. 

The project has been supporting beekeepers and entrepreneurs under the Bee Zone in marketing, packaging and labeling the honey. The Bee Zone was established in Chitwan from the fiscal year 2075/76 B.S. 

Kumar Khanal, President of the Khairhani Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that priority has been given to increasing the honey market. Farmers from Khairhani and Rapti in Chitwan as well as Raksirang in Makwanpur have set up stalls. 

President Khanal said that honey is considered beneficial for health, and it is necessary to increase its consumption. Honey farmers have urged the government to create a market for locally produced honey.

Honey farmers often complain that there is no market for the produced honey and have urged the government to create the market. Beekeeper Bishnu Bhusal said that the honey festival would work for the creation of the market for the locally produced honey.