GUWAHATI, Aug 30 - Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena said KVIC is focused on promoting the honey industry in the North East while speaking at the first online national conference on honey titled �Honey Season 2020� on Saturday. He complimented FICCI on the unique initiative taken up by the industry body to promote beekeeping and honey industry.
The conference was organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and KVIC with support of the Directorate of Horticulture and Food Processing.
He further said North East has huge potential for honey production, particularly monofloral honey with specific properties, like rubber honey in Tripura. He also mentioned that KVIC is working on developing mobile honey processing units for the benefit of beekeepers in remote areas.
�KVIC has a set a world record in distribution of bee boxes in a single day. Under the mission, 1,000 bee boxes were distributed among villagers around Kaziranga,� he added.
FICCI-Northeast Advisory Council Chairman Ranjit Barthakur highlighted the importance of integrating nature in the decision-making process.
�The world view towards nature positive business structure and estimations associated with opportunities and employment show that there could be an annual savings and revenue of 15 billion by 2030. It is time that industries and companies start building resiliency with the help of collective leadership and inspiring companies, and governments can learn from the current COVID-19 pandemic and integrate nature into their decision-making process,� Barthakur said.
Dr Subodh Jindal, President, All India Food Processors Association, who was also present during the conference, highlighted the importance of changing the strategy of beekeeping in India to become a global player. To compete globally, strict monitoring of quality standards is a must by adopting NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) technology and adequate market support to be extended to the beekeepers.
Abdul Jalil, Director of Horticulture and Food Processing, Government of Assam, also spoke on the initiatives undertaken by his department to develop the honey industry in the State.
Over 300 participants from across the North East and other states participated in the programme.