NALBARI, Aug 12 - A month-long certificate course on wild beekeeping concluded at Nikashi along the Indo-Bhutan border of undivided Nalbari district on Wednesday.The month-long training was conducted by Assam Science Technology & Environment Council (ASTEC) in collaboration with Green Environment Task Force (GETF), a leading non-governmental organization working for the conservation of nature in Nalbari and Baksa district. The certificate course is under the Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP) of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEF&CC), Government of India. The course is aimed at creating green jobs or self-employment opportunities. The objective is to create awareness and promote scientific methods of beekeeping with wild honey bees as a viable diversification enterprise, and to demonstrate how beekeeping can be an important business for individuals, small-scale farmers, unemployed youths and women to uplift their economic conditions.
Of the 25 trainees, one each from Jharkhand and Kokrajhar, rest were from Nikhasi, Bhutankhuti, Dihira, Pakhamara, Bagulamari, Bishnupur, Jopadong, Chaibari and Chaulkara village of that forest areas. The trainees were imparted knowledge on scientific methods of honeybees rearing with local species, their handling, management, honey harvest, role of honeybees on pollination and crop productivity, farmers income among others. Forest visit and wild trekking were also conducted in Dihira Reserve forest to make trainees to understand the role of honey bees with biodiversity and overall environment. Practical and demonstration classes were also taken on capturing and collection of bee colonies from wild and introduction to modern bee hives. The trainees were taken for exposure visits to get knowledge on scientific beekeeping and opportunity to interact with successful beekeepers. Along with these, entrepreneurship development classes had been conducted in relation with the increasing demand of honey and other by-products in domestic and international market. During the training programme, Dr AK Mishra, Director of ASTEC also had a day-long interaction with the trainees to assess the overall knowledge and skill gathered by them and their response about the training on beekeeping. He urged the trainees to develop not only their entrepreneurship skill but to become an expert resource person in this field to train others.
The training was conducted by Mahendra Das, master trainer, Dr Gajen Sarma, retired Professor of Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Bhabesh Chandra Das, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Baksa, Debajit Borah and Jinu Pathak of GETF, Baburam Swargiary, Chandan Goyary and Khanin Madahi, Master Beekeepers and member of Baksa Beekeepers & Agro Producer Company (BAPC).
On the closing ceremony, Dr Chandra Baruah, scientific officer of ASTEC was also present .Certificates were also distributed among the trainees.
