Workshop on modern beekeeping held

Rawalpindi : A three-day training workshop on Modern Beekeeping concluded at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR), here on Thursday.

The workshop was organised by PMAS-AAUR Department of Entomology under the project ‘Billion Tree Honey (BTH) Pilot Phase’ in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) Pakistan, with the main objective to disseminate the applied knowledge regarding modern beekeeping.

PMAS-AAUR Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Qamar-uz-Zaman was the Chief guest while Member Punjab Assembly (MPA) Asia Amjad was the guest of honour. In a three-day workshop, participants were practical trained regarding honey bee pest & disease management, honey bee seasonal management, honey harvesting, storage and marketing, production of royal jelly and other hive products, and honey market management.

Prof. Dr. Qamar-uz-Zaman said Pakistan has great potential to increase honey yield by establishing standards and new habitats. He said that the BTH-Pilot Phase project has been successfully executed by the university after organizing this workshop. He said 35 beekeepers have been trained for modern beekeeping and outcomes have provided a sound basis for the preparation of a nationwide mega project "Apiculture Scaling-up Programme for Income and Rural Employment (ASPIRE)".

He said that the University is also in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change, will also establish the accredited "Bee Product Standardization and Formulation Laboratories" for research and product development activities of all hive products. The finding of these labs will be shared with the industry and government laboratories throughout the country for scaling up and commercialization of all bee products, he added.

Asiya Amjad said the Prime Minister’s “Billion Tree Honey Initiative “ will not only be helpful to promote tree plantation and honey production but also in poverty reduction. She said that Pakistan is blessed with unparalleled quality and taste of honey in the world and hoped that Pakistan will soon be amongst the top producers of honey. She appreciated the university management for taking the government’s initiatives on the front foot and playing a vital role in boosting the beekeeping sector in Pakistan.

Prof. Dr. Fayyaz ul Hassan Sahi, Dean Faculty of Crop and Food Sciences said that beekeeping is an important entrepreneur in Pakistan and assured full support not only in establishing modern beekeeping enterprises but also for more collaboration in other areas as well.