Promoting sustainable agricultural practices and enhancing farmers' livelihoods
Sri Vijaya Puram ,

The Department of Agriculture, A&N Administration, in collaboration with the National Bee Board, MoA&FW, New Delhi is organizing a two-days District Level Training Programme on 'Scientific Bee Keeping - Role of Bees in Agriculture and its Economics'.
The programme was inaugurated by Dr. Jai Sunder, Director (I/c), CIARI as the chief guest in the presence of Padmashree Smti Chellammal as guest of honour in the Conference Hall of Zonal Agriculture Office, Goalghar, South Andaman, today.
The initiative aims to enhance knowledge and skills in scientific beekeeping practices. Beekeeping is vital for agriculture for its critical role in crop pollination and by-product collection. It enhances food production, conserves biodiversity, supports rural livelihoods, and promotes environmental sustainability.
In his address, the chief guest, highlighted the significance of scientific beekeeping in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, considering its rich biodiversity, extensive forest cover, and favorable climatic conditions. He encouraged farmers and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to adopt beekeeping not only for honey production but also for its pollination benefits. He also emphasized beekeeping as a lucrative self-employment opportunity.
In her address, the guest of honour shared her insights with the participants and emphasized on preservation of honey bees for increased agricultural production. She shared her experience on the benefits of beekeeping.
Earlier, welcoming the gathering, Dr. S.C. Rekha, Joint Director (I/c) (Agri. HQ) highlighted the importance of beekeeping in agriculture and briefed about the Departmental activities related to beekeeping.
During the technical session, various aspects of beekeeping were dealt in detail by the resource persons from CIARI and Department of Agriculture. Dr. Raj Narayan, Head, Horticulture, CIARI emphasized on the importance of beekeeping in horticultural crops while Shri D. Nagarajan, Assistant Director (Agri.) explained about the bee colonies and their communication. Shri Ravi Ch. Sutherdhar, Agriculture Officer provided detailed insights into the assembly and installation of bee hives.
Dr. S.C. Rekha led an insightful discussion on 'Developing Sustainable Beekeeping Practices' focusing on the crucial role of bees in biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture while emphasizing eco-friendly beekeeping techniques. An in-depth session on health and disease management in honey bees was provided by Shri Navasakti, Assistant Director (Agri.) while Smti Pitchammal Beevi, Agriculture Officer/ In-charge, HVADA enlightened the gathering on honey bee management.
The first day of the training programme concluded with an interactive Q&A session, where farmers had the opportunity to seek expert guidance on improving their beekeeping skills.
Altogether 94 participants, including beekeepers, SHG members, and extension functionaries from the Department of Agriculture, actively participated in the training programme, gaining valuable insights into scientific beekeeping techniques, a press release from Department of Agriculture said.