THE INITIATIVE

• Promotion of meliponiculture through Farmers Clubs

THE BENEFICIARIES

• Beekeepers in Kottayam district, Kerala

THE CHALLENGE

• Lack of knowledge about the scope of scientific beekeeping
• Limited access to marketing

THE SOLUTION

• NABARD popularised meliponiculture or farming of the stingless variety of honey bees for Dammar honey through its Farmers Clubs
• Dammar honey commands ? 1,400 per kilo as against ? 200 per kilo for normal honey

THE IMPACT

• Activity well established in many regions such as Meenachil and Kanjirapally
• Most meliponiculturists have 15-20 hives in their homestead farms while some farmers have up to 2,000 hives