Our Correspondent
Imphal, May 20 (EMN): The first World Bee Day (WBD) was observed at Central Agricultural University (CAU) Eroishemba campus in Manipur on Sunday. The event was celebrated with its Vice Chancellor Prof M Premjit, former secretary to governor of Manipur RK Nimai, senior officials, and scientists of the university.
Speaking on the occasion, Nimai expressed the need to increase the farmers’ income in Manipur for all round development of the state.
Premjit also spoke during the occasion. He appealed to form farmers’ producers companies in the state in order to enhance the farmers’ income. He had been encouraging integrated farming systems in Northeast region to double farmers’ income. He suggested taking part in a mission for producing quality honey bee as the region uses lesser chemicals in their fields comparing to other areas, apart from existing farming activities in the fields. “CAU will provide necessary training for bee keeping activities,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led central government's initiatives which aimed at creating awareness about latest technological developments in agriculture that will double the farm income by 2022. This will be done by reducing cultivation costs, ensuring profitable prices, processing farm waste, and creating non-farm source of incomes.
There were also reports of the WBD being observing in other parts of state at different levels. On the eve of the occasion Senapati District Bee Keeping Association, under the sponsorship of National Bee Board, organised the WBD cum scientific bee keepers training programme for rural sustainable livelihood at mini stadium hall of the hill town where T Ashehrii Romeo delivered a lecture on ‘Diversity of honey bee species in Senapati.’
According to K Thohrii, a bee keeping promoter in Senapati town, there are many high valued bees colonies in the district except the southern side of the district. Regular training for the farmers on protection of bees and use of lesser chemicals in their fields is need of the hour to save our bee colonies for the food diversity and enhancing the productions.
Bees are under great threat from the combined effects of climate change, intensive agriculture, pesticides, biodiversity loss, and pollution. More than 75 percent of the world's food crops rely on pollination for yield and quality. The absence of bees and other pollinators would wipe out coffee, apples, almonds, tomatoes, and cocoa as these crops rely on pollination.
The first World Bee Day was observed in the Slovenian village of Breznica, 50 kilometres north-west of the Slovenia's capital on May 20 which is the birthday of Anton Janša, an apiarist and a pioneer of modern apiculture.
