PESHAWAR: Fixing steelnail in wodden beesboxes under the shadow of a shisham tree on the bank of the River Kabul, Ataur Rehman, a poor beekeeper, is making determined efforts to repair it before sunset.
Wake up early in the morning. The motivated beekeeper visited his farmhouse constructed on the north side of the bank of the river Kabul in Nowshera, where he began fixing steel nails to repair 100 bee boxes that were badly damaged by the last month of torrential rains and floods.
Enjoying “Dil Dil Pakistan” national song through his mobile set with co-beekeepers, Ataullah was busy like a honeybee in his work to repair all damaged boxes before disappearing of the sun behind Kohe Hindukash mountain terrain.
Unaware of the black tea brought by his son being cold, Ataur Rehman said the recent torrential rains and flash flood in the River Kabul have brought substantial economic losses to beekeepers in Nowshera, Charsadda, and Peshawar districts, who are now looking for KP government assistance.
“I was living a
happy life until the last month, when torrential rains and floods badly damaged my 100 bee boxes, and I was eagerly looking towards the KP government for financial assistance to help relaunch my climate change-hit business,” he told reporter on Sunday.
He abandoned education after the death of his elder brother Hidayatur Rehman due to cancer and entered the stinging business of beekeeping to support his own and his brother’s family during the unprecedented price hike in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“My entire family was in deep shock after the death of my brother, leaving six children, and I had no idea what to do. However, I recollected myself and started this painsticking business on the advice of my mother,” he said.
“Initially, I purchased 30 bee boxes, and by the grace of Allah Almighty, it increased to 120 boxes within two years due to my
consistent hard work and dedication,” he said.
“As the flood struck my village, our entire family rushed towards River Kabul’s farmhouse to shift bee boxes to safer place
s, but within moments we saw ourselves stranded in floodwater that badly damaged my 100 boxes and swept away 20 others.”
Claiming to have suffered a loss of a loss of Rs six lakh, the embattled beekeeper said he would restart his business soon after the repair of boxes and the arrangement of new bee colonies. He demanded of the provincial government to give interest-free loans and fix honey rates so that the rains and floods that hit beekeepers could benefit from their labor.
Ataullah was planning to go to Punjab and Azad Kashmir, where an abundance of bee-flora plants were available for bees to increase honey production.
Sher Zaman, General Secretary of the All Pakistan Beekeepers Association, said the recent torrential rains and floods had adversely affected the beekeeping industry in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“The torrential rains and subsequent flash flood had caused substantial economic loss to the beekeepers, exporters, and honey traders, and the loss could hardly be overcome without the support of the go
vernment,” he added.
Demanding compensation for the floods that affected beekeepers, he said about 7,000 to 10,000 honey farms existed in the province, and if compensation
and loans were not provided, more than 100,000 people were associated with
Bee farms in the province may be faced with starvation.
He said demand for Pakistani honey is always on the rise in Gulf states.
particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, due to its better quality and low sugar contents, and the country’s economic woes may be addressed by promoting beekeeping.
He said Pakistani honey is preferred in the Middle East to that of other countries due to its better quality and urged the government to provide interest-free
loans under the Islamic banking system to encourage the beekeeper
community and climate change affected beekeepers.
“The climate change has also affected the local bee population, scientifically known as Apis florae (small bees), due to the loss of
bee-flora plants,” said an official of the Agriculture Research Ins
titute (ARI) at Tarnab, Peshawar.
Besides floods, he said one of the reasons for its decrease could be the presence of two queens in the same bee box or colony, as the younger queen often kills the eldest or the latter leaves the bee box or colony, taking some of the bees with herself.
However, he says there is every possibility of losing an average of five to ten kg out of 1000 kilograms of honey production if preventive measures are not taken for their preservation and protection.
“There is a possibility of losing the wild bees in the future if proper attention is not given to their preservation and management of natural forests,” said Dr. Mumtaz Malik, former chief conservator of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department.
“Wild bees are a big source of quality honey that needs proper strategy and mechanism to get maximum production and protection from floods and torrential rains,” Dr. Malik said, adding that the honey business could be
developed as a non-wood-forest product for the locals living near fo
rests to raise their income through the preservation of wild bee populations.
He stressed the need for capacity building by beekeepers to face any situation, like floods, and raising nurseries of bee-flora plants for the promotion of the honey industry.
Dr. Mumtaz suggested the issuance of cards to beekeepers for their identification while
migrating from one district to another in the wake of climate change and weather patterns.
He said a focus on conservation of Apis dorsata (wild bee) should be made as it has the ability to produce 35 to 40 kg of honey from each comb, adding that the wild bees usually make their nests in tall
trees or buildings in reserved forests.
Iftikhar Khalil, former director of non-timber forest products at KP, said data on rain-affected beekeepers may be collected for financial assistance.
He said rains and floods have also affected beekeepers, most in Swat, Charsadda, Tank, DI Khan, and Charsadda.
Iftikhar said that about 1,50,000 wild bees
remain busy in a one-meter-long a
nd a half-meter-wide comb at a 1-20 degree angle.
He said Pakistan has huge potential for producing over 7,500 to 8,000 metric tons of honey from about 300,000 colonies per year, and diversion of financial resources to climate change’s mitigation was the need of the hour.
Admitting climate change’s effects on the population of Apis Flori and Apis Dorsata, commonly known as ‘swat bees,” he said Apis mellifera was imported from Australia in 1977 owing to her speedy growth and increased power of honey production.
A research project was launched at the Agriculture Research Institute in Tarnab, Peshawar, Faisalabad, and the National Agriculture Research Centre in Islamabad in 1979 to analyze mellifera’s properties.
“Mallifera produces about 20 to 25 kg of honey per box, against six to eight kg by native bees two times in a year.”
Apis dorsata has the ability to produce 40kg to 45 kg of honey from each hive, mostly in tall trees and buildings,’ he said, adding that around 120,000 to 150,000 wild bees were busy
in a one-meter-long and half-meter-wide comb making a 120-degree angle, and their honey generation powers were affected in cases of torrential rains and floods due to the loss of plants and the destruction of their hives.
‘The bees collect pollen and nectar within a five-kilometer radius of their hives, and the majority prefer to get food while staying close to their combs. One bee produces 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her life and flapping their wings 11,000 times per minute, besides using her tiny hairs to take pollen and her stomach to carry 70 mg of nectar.’
Iftikhar said honey bees were the lifeline of Pakistan, as they account for 80 percent of the pollination process. In addition to making a significant contribution to the food chain and lifesaving medicines, their protection from floods was equally important.
He said about Rs 43 billion in revenues could be generated and over 100,000 new jobs could be created after achieving the 70,000 MT honey target. Adding 10,009 exotic bees has the potentia
l to produce 100 tons of honey per year with financial benefits of Rs 75 million.
Annually, he said 10 tons of honey can be produced from indigenous bees, with annual economic benefits of Rs 38 million and collectively Rs 113 million in income from the beekeeping sector in KP.
He said about 5.2 million ber trees could be planted in Karak, Kohat, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank, and DI Khan districts.
A new type of honey, “Margalla,’ was introduced by the Pakistan Council of Agriculture and Research (PCAR), mostly useful for asthma and allergy patients, while ‘Ber and Kalongi’ honey was also brought into the market in view of its numerous health benefits.