PRIME Minister Imran Khan on Monday launched the ‘Billion Tree Honey Initiative’ to increase the production of honey through the plantation of trees. This indeed is an innovative idea that will add value to the government’s Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Program, encouraging the people not only to plant trees but also protect them to increase their income.
In our country, it is estimated that about ten thousand bee keepers are using three hundred thousand colonies for producing 7,500 metric tons of honey annually. Given the congenial climate conditions and presence of bee flora on vast areas in all the provinces, this production is not even close to matching our true potential. The Billion Tree Honey initiative is a first of its kind project which will go a long way in tapping the country’s potential in this field as it aims to enhance the production to seventy thousand metric tons of honey from the same harvest by using modern bee keeping gears, training on latest techniques, standardization/certification of the product and intensive marketing. It is anticipated that this will help generate an income of about Rs 35-43 billion in the national economy and provide immense job opportunities. Ministry of Climate Change really deserves appreciation for coming up with this initiative but it must be ensured that this does not remain only on the papers but also implemented in letter and spirit by providing necessary support including interest free loans to the bee keepers. By offering free of cost specialized courses, the energies of youth of rural population for whom the honey collection is only a fun activity, can be harnessed. These courses should not only teach the youth about the latest honey collection techniques but also equip them with the knowledge to prepare value added products from it such as royal jelly, propolis, beeswax etc. This will supplement their income and help the country diversify its exports. Similarly, as also stated by the PM, we should plant trees such as olive that also provide impetus to our economy. Through olive plantation, we can save our precious foreign exchange currently being spent on the import of edible oil.
