Honey collection a good business in 3 N-dists
Many farmers have taken to the profession as it is more profitable than agriculture.
"I took it as a profession as it earns me more than farming", said Biren Sarker of Biral upazila in the district. He said he is collecting honey for the last four years.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. He has 75 honey collection boxes. He places those in different areas, preferably in crop fields or forests.
He now collects around two kilograns of honey a day from 75 boxes.
The collection is almost double in winter season when mustard seeds are cultivated in a massive scale. The yield is also good when mango and litchi trees sprout, he said.
"I invested a little but I make good earnings. I earn between Tk 50,000 and 70,000 a year", Biren told this correspondent during a visit to the area.
Like Biren, Rahman of Birampur upazila is also collecting honey through several boxes. He said honey collection is better than agriculture as a profession.
Biren and Rahman are among several hundred people in the district engaged in commercial honey collection.
Around 350 tonnes of honey is collected in Dinajpur, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts in a year, according to officials of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) in Dinajpur.
They said the quantity will increase as more farmers turning to the profession in the three districts.
But the collectors have problems in preservation and marketing of their honey. They supply the collected honey to traders at low prices as they do not have any processing and preservation facility, the officials said.
Till last year, BSCIC provided training to about 200 professional honey collectors and supplied them honey boxes at nominal prices, they said. They were given 15 days' short training on bee keeping.
The BSCIC training programme, now stopped, will resume next year, they said.
Some NGOs including BRAC is now training intending farmers. BRAC sources said they so far trained 150 bee keepers in the three districts and provided them with instruments.
Around 350 tones of honey is collected in Dinajpur, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts in a year, according to officials of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BISIC) in Dinajpur.
They said the quantity will increase as more farmers turning to the profession in the three districts.