Sweet Revolution

Context:

Recently, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched the country’s first Mobile Honey Processing Van at Village in Uttar Pradesh.

About the Mobile Honey Processing Van :

• The Mobile Honey Processing Van comes as a major development under KVIC’s Honey Mission which aims at training beekeepers, distributing Bee Boxes to farmers and helping rural, educated as well as unemployed youth to earn extra income through beekeeping activities.
• In line with the Prime Minister’s dream of “Sweet Kranti” (Sweet Revolution) through honey production, the KVIC has come up with this unique innovation to enable beekeepers and farmers to get a fair prices for their honey production.
• KVIC has designed the innovative Mobile Honey Processing Van that will process beekeepers’ honey at their doorsteps and thus save them the hassle and the cost of taking the honey to processing plants in far off cities for processing.
• While this will make beekeeping a more profitable business for small beekeepers; this will also maintain purity and the highest quality standards of honey.

Benefits of ‘Mobile Honey Processing Van’:

• The transportation of honey to processing plants is an expensive affair for small farmers and beekeepers.
  • To avoid high transportation and processing costs, a majority of beekeepers would sell their raw honey to the agents at their farms themselves at a very low price.
  • The Processing Van will reduce the honey extraction and processing cost to the beekeepers.
  • This will also eliminate any scope for adulteration of honey as the processing will be done at the doorsteps of the beekeepers and farmers.

About Sweet revolution-

• It is a strategic step to emphasize the increase in honey production which can be a major contributor to doubling the income of the farmers.
• In this direction, the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) was announced as part of the AtmaNirbhar Bharat scheme. 
• NBHM aims for the overall promotion & development of scientific beekeeping in the country to achieve the goal of ‘Sweet Revolution’ which is being implemented through National Bee Board (NBB).
• The main objective of NBHM is to promote holistic growth of the beekeeping industry for income & employment generation for farm and non-farm households and to achieve 
• Besides,  the scheme also aims to create awareness about scientific beekeeping  under Mini Mission-I, post-harvest management of beekeeping, beehive products, including collection, processing, storage, marketing, value addition, etc. under Mini Mission-II and Research & Technology generation in beekeeping under Mini Mission-III. 
• The Union government has approved the allocation for Rs. 500 crore for National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) for three years (2020-21 to 2022-23).

Sweet Revolution in India – Overview

1. PM Modi called for Sweet Revolution in 2016 with the vision to double the income of the farmers by 2024. It was launched to promote beekeeping and associated activities.
2. Government has allocated Rs.500 crore towards Beekeeping under Atma Nirbhar Abhiyan.
3. ‘Sweet Revolution‘ is a strategic step to emphasize the increase in honey production, which can be a major contributor to doubling the income of the farmers.
4. India is among the world’s top five honey producers and the honey production has risen by 242% and exports shot by 265% as compared to 2005-06 and this implies that beekeeping will be an important factor in achieving the goal of doubling farmer’s income by 2024.
5. Farmers grow a wide variety of crops that include pulses, vegetables, fruits, and cereals. These are ideal hosts for bees and thus beekeeping could become a lucrative livelihood option for these farmers. Hence, the production of crops will also increase by 15% with the increase in income.
6. The National Bee Board has created four modules to impart training as part of the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) and 30 lakh farmers have been trained in beekeeping.
7. Jharkhand is the best state to implement sweet revolution and there is a huge potential as State’s climate is suitable for honey production and approximately 30% of the land is covered by forest which is the most important resource for honey production.

Honey Mission

1. Government has launched the ‘Honey Mission’ as part of ‘Sweet Revolution.’ The honey mission was launched by KVIC in 2017.
2. This aims to promote beekeeping for increasing the crop productivity and pollination services avenue for beekeepers and farmers.
3. It aimed at creating employment for the Adivasis, farmers, unemployed youth, and women by roping them in beekeeping while also increasing India’s honey production.
4. the Mission has created more than 10,000 new jobs, besides creating around 25,000 additional man-days through the fabrication of bee boxes and honey extractors
5. Major issues faced by beekeepers are scientific beekeeping, minimum support price (read in detail about Minimum Support Price here) quality assurance, branding, testing, organic certification etc.
6. Under the Honey Mission, the KVIC provides the farmers or beekeepers –
   1. Practical training about the examination of honeybee colonies,
   1. Identification and management of bee enemies and diseases along with the management of bee colonies in all seasons.
   1. Acquaintance with apicultural equipment’s and
   1. Honey extraction and wax purification

A Glimpse of Honey Market 

• The total honey market value is $ 500 million and by 2025 the market is expected to reach $ 1130 million
• Honey Market is increasing @ 10.7% CAGR.
• Indian honey market demand is in USA, UAE and Europe
• Major consumption market is found in Europe, North America and China. 

Sweet Revolution Or Meethi Kranti Objectives

• To make Jharkhand state in the category of developed states by 2022.
•  Providing employment by connecting the farmers of the state with beekeeping.
• To increase agriculture and horticulture yield and income of farmers.
• To make the state the leading state in the field of honey production.
• Children free from malnutrition.
• Production of quality honey.

Meethi Kranti – Approach

1. The farmers for beekeeping will be selected through the Chief Minister Small and Micro Industries Board.
2. Training centres will provide training to farmers for beekeeping and production
3. Agricultural Institutions and Krishi Vigyan Kendra will be trained by the nodal agencies.
4. The state government will connect farmers with APEDA, Government of India, especially for honey exports.

Sweet Revolution- Honey Mission in India – Way Forward

1. Recognizing honeybees as inputs to agriculture, and apiculture as a subject for advanced research under the aegis of Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
2. Considering landless Beekeepers as farmers and focusing on training and development of beekeepers by state governments.
3. Plantation of bee-friendly flora at appropriate places and engaging women self-help groups in managing such plantations. 

Source: PIB

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