With more than 2500 beehives, Noor Mohmmad Bhat makes 18 different types of honey of special floras in Kashmir which makes him the largest honey producer in the region.
43-year-old Bhat from the BuchooKamla area in Tral Tehsil says that the honey industry has never failed.
Bhat says that he currently has 2000-3000 Apis mellifera beehives which are also known as bee colonies.
Apis mellifera is a European honey bee that can produce anywhere between 20 kg and 40 kg of honey per colony per year.
Bhat says that since 1980, Apis mellifera bees have been used in Kashmir because of extra production. “They understand the language, and they do not attack the owner. They know where to produce honey.”
“One honey beehive consists of a single queen followed by hundreds of male drones and 30,000 to 60,000 female worker bees,” he said.
Bhat also claims to be the leading beekeeper and honey producer from Jammu and Kashmir.
“I have been into the beekeeping business since 2002 and in Jammu and Kashmir, 80 percent of the production goes from my company—Valley Al-Asal Honey which is the brand name of the honey I produce,” he said.
Bhat said, “I make 18-20 types of honey of different floras which include the White honey,Solie. This costs Rs 1200 per kilogram. It is produced from the bees from forests followed by Acacia honey which is derived from the nectar of the Robinia pseudo-acacia flower, commonly known as the black locust or false acacia tree.”
He also makes black forest and multi-flora honey, mustard honey, black chest honey, and lavender honey. “In a year, we produce honey 12-14 times and in one shift one beehive produces 5-7 kilograms of honey.”
Bhat currently has ten permanent employees; besides he hires 20-30 seasonal workers too.
Besides the production of honey, Bhat says that without honey bees, there is less possibility of quality horticulture because of nopollination and the different types of bees play an important role in it.
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male part of the flower to the female part of the flower. When a bee lands on a flower, the hairs all over the bee’s body attract pollen grains through electrostatic forces.
Most of the bees are pollinated in whole or part by honey bees and by the crop’s natural pollinators such as bumblebees, orchard bees, squash bees, and solitary bees.
Baht says that he was recently awarded by the Sikkim government for being the leading beekeeper and producer.He has also been awarded by the national bee board, horticulture and agriculture department.
