With a view to get a first-hand experience and to having interactions with beekeepers, a team of Nagaland Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) toured three Wokha, Mokokchung and Tseminyu districts on May 15-17.
A press release by NBHM informed that the team led by chairman Obed Quinker and team leader NBHM, Sentiwapang Aier, consisting of eight team members and two project assistants, visited different villages and conducted sensitization and awareness programmes for the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVK) established by NBHM with the support from Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, government of India.
The team organised sensitisation programmes on Van Dhan Yojana (VDY) under Pradhan Mantri Janajatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) scheme being implemented by NBHM were held on May 15 for two VDVKs at N. Longidang and Changsu New Villages in Wokha district; in Mokokchung for four VDVKs namely Khensa VDVK, Chungtia VDVK, Ungma VDVK and Sungratsu VDVK at the Multi-Purpose Hall Khensa Village and in Tseminyu on May 17 at Phentejon Bamboo Model Village for Phentejon VDVK with members mobilized from neighbouring cluster villages.
During the visits, Obed Quinker said the selected villages from the VDVK clusters were the lucky few. Therefore, he said the communities should actively and positively participate in implementing the scheme and make it into a success story so that more government programs and projects would be encouraged to be implemented in the villages.
He encouraged the stakeholders to set goals and work with a visionary zeal so that they would serve as model VDVKs. Stating that the VDY scheme with NBHM as the implementing agency was meant to benefit the public at large and the farming communities in particular, and hoped that it would go a long way in empowering the stakeholders through various training and skilling programmes.
In his keynote address, Sentiwapang Aier remarked that the bee rearing initiatives in many villages across the state have been very encouraging. He said the success was largely due to the continued hard work, passion and dedication by the beekeeping community, who have extended cooperation to the Mission’s activities and enabled NBHM to have a good track record over the years.
He informed that TRIFED has come forward to support NBHM for the establishment of VDVKs in all the 16 districts of the state.
Aier also highlighted the various aspects of the program and stated that the VDY was a little different from the usual beekeeping activities as it was cluster based with one VDVK comprising 300 beneficiaries mostly comprising different Self Help Group (SHG) members working as one big cohesive unit.
He urged the VDVKs in all three districts to take up the responsibility of ensuring the successful implementation of the scheme for economic upliftment and sustainable utilization of various forest resources found in their villages and surrounding cluster areas.
The tour also covered apiary (bee farm) visits at N. Longidang in Wokha district and apiaries at Chungtia, Yisemyong and Yimchalu in Mokokchung District. During the field visits, the team inspected, observed and learned from both long-time seasoned beekeepers and interacted with new upcoming beekeepers, who have in recent years taken up beekeeping as part of integrated farming, with support from NBHM.
During the apiary site visits, the team inspected and took stock of the various bee species being reared and learned from the beekeeper’s experiences too. The team took note of various challenges and problems faced by the beekeepers and requirements needed by them in the near future and lend encouragement to the beekeepers to continue their good beekeeping practices.
A stopover was made at the Healing Home located at Terogunyu Village in Tseminyu district, where trained practitioners of apitherapy (bee venom therapy) have been administering bee sting therapy to many patients with various ailments. The team also got to experience bee venom therapy via bee stings at the Centre. Various leaders, village council members and representatives of SHG members also spoke during the events in the three districts.