The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare recently launched the “Madhu Kranti Portal & Honey Corners,” significantly impacting the agriculture sector. Here, we explore these initiatives in detail, coupled with the organizations involved and their objectives.
Madhu Kranti Portal: A Digital Traceability Source for Honey
The Madhu Kranti Portal is an innovative undertaking by the National Bee Board (NBB), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare’s National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM). The portal’s primary objective is to establish an online registration system that will trace the source of honey and other beehive products. This digital platform will aid quality checks and source adulteration of honey, thus ensuring the purity and authenticity of honey distributed in the market.
Potential Impact and Benefits of Madhu Kranti Portal
The new portal offers several benefits. It can enhance farmers’ income and employment generation while giving a thrust to honey exports. It holds a comprehensive database of everyone involved in honey production – from producers to marketers to those involved in hive production and sales. A critical outcome of this initiative is leveraging the platform to increase the reach of honey into international markets.
Honey Corners: Dedicated Spaces for Honey Marketing and Sales
Honey Corners are exclusive spaces established for marketing and selling honey. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) operates these corners. NAFED, registered under the Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, was founded in 1958 with an aim to encourage cooperative marketing of Agricultural Produce to benefit farmers.
National Bee Board: Strengthening Beekeeping in India
The Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) registered the National Bee Board (NBB) as a society in 2000 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. Undergoing reconstitution in 2006, the NBB’s principal objective is to boost beekeeping in India by promoting scientific methods. This focus aims to enhance crop productivity through pollination and honey production, thereby increasing the income of beekeepers and farmers. The board oversees the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan State (HMNEM).
National Beekeeping & Honey Mission: Towards a ‘Sweet Revolution’
The National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) is a central sector scheme announced under the AtmaNirbhar Bharat scheme. The mission aims to foster overall promotion and development of scientific beekeeping across the country. The notion behind this mission is to achieve the ‘Sweet Revolution,’ and its implementation falls under the NBB’s jurisdiction.
Honey Mission: Promoting Beekeeping and Associated Activities
In August 2017, the Honey Mission kick-started in tune with the ‘Sweet Revolution’ initiated in 2016. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), under the Honey Mission, provides awareness, training, and ‘Bee Boxes’ equipped with Bee Colonies to farmers. This effort aims to stimulate beekeeping and activities associated with it, thus contributing to the broad vision of the ‘Sweet Revolution’.
