Women can do wonders if they are given the chance and the following story from Kashmir is a testament of such zeal and determination.
A 38-year-old woman from Nambla village of Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district has successfully transformed her beekeeping hobby into entrepreneurship thereby launching her own brand of honey- Uri Honey.
Rahila Kousar, hailing from the border town has been a honeybee penchant since her childhood but started her own business in 2011. “I started my own venture under Self Help Groups (SHGs), a scheme launched by then J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti wherein jobs avenues were provided to the educated youth.
In the beginning, I bought ten apiaries from the Apiculture Department and later when I saw the business running smoothly I bought 300 more apiaries,” says Kousar who has undergone a month long training from the department.
Production depends on the weather
Kousar said that good production of honey depends on the weather. “The honey is produced almost in hot weather which gets easy for the bees to go for the breeding process,” she said.
She said that they keep moving from one place to another for work and looking for the pleasant weather. “Till 20 April, we work in Jammu as Kashmir still remains under the grip of cold. Afterwards, we come to the valley till December and then Gujarat for two months and back to Jammu,” Kousar explained. She said the extraction of honey is done four times a year.
Kousar said that she is happy that she has generated employment for the others too. “As of now, we have employed over four men with us and they are earning well and have settled,” she said, adding that they will employ more people in the business in near future.
Breaking the taboo’
Kausar said that she finds herself lucky enough that her husband has been supporting her. “At a place like Kashmir, it looks difficult for a female to start something of her own but my husband supported me a lot and made my dream come true,” she said.
Kausar believes that Geographical Indication (GI) tag will give a special identification to Kashmir’s honey which is considered best among the world because of its nectar collected by the bees from the meadows, orchards, forests and gardens. “The tag is the need of the hour,” she said.
“Training-cum-sensitization programs on honey bees and their management should be held so as to help the beekeepers to enrich its production,” she added.
As per the officials of Agriculture Department Kashmir, 70,000 honey bee colonies have come up in different regions and the target is to take this to seven lakh colonies under its ‘Honey Mission.’
