ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Imran Khan will participate in the Launch Ceremony of the Billion Tree Honey Initiative, a national apiculture program.
This initiative is part of the prime minister’s vision of a Clean & Green Pakistan.
It aims at promoting tree plantation to support the production of Honey in the Country under the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (TBTTP).
Accordingly, the plantation of plants including Kao, Phulai, Ber, Kikar, and other bee flora is being encouraged under the TBTTP.
Meanwhile, an exclusive analysis was conducted of Honey Production in the Country to devise a mechanism for encouraging the promotion of bee flora improving the quality of honey production, providing livelihood to the beekeepers, and sustain the activity through the provision of financial resources.
It is estimated that about 10,000 beekeepers are using 300,000 colonies for producing 7,500 metric tons of honey annually.
The potential can be enhanced to produce 70,000 metric tons of honey from the same harvest by using modern beekeeping gears, training on the latest techniques, standardization/certification of the product, and intensive marketing.
It is anticipated that the marketing of 70,000 metric tons of honey will generate an income of about Rs 35-43 billion in the national economy and provide about 87,000 green jobs.
The “Billion Tree Honey” Initiative is being launched by the Ministry of Climate Change as a coherent effort of different Ministries/ Agencies to promote Apiculture in the Country.
The existing forestry resource available in the Protected Areas and the new areas being planted/regenerated under TBTTP till 2022-23 is estimated to expand up to about 5.5 million hectares.
The requisite forest resource shall be used by the beekeepers to produce honey specific to particular flora and shall be branded accordingly.
The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) shall provide training to the selected beekeepers along with technical support, follow-up of on-ground activities and product extraction.
The certified beekeepers shall be provided financial support through the Kamyab Jawan Programme.
The Ministry of Science and Technology shall be responsible for certifying the honey produced under the programme.
As an option the certified product, shall be purchased by the National Agriculture Technology Park (NATP), branded and marketed as ‘Billion Tree Honey’.
The NATP is a Public Company Limited by the share that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) under Section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017 aligned with the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The NAP shall provide an end to end solution for promoting and marketing quality honey nationally and internationally.
A pilot testing of the programme shall be initiated at selected sites during the upcoming Spring 2020.
