Agri Business Incubation (ABI), a TBI of ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru had organized Entrepreneurship Development Programme on Scientific Bee keeping and value addition" on 26.9.2023. Dr .M. Pitchaimuthu, Principal Scientist & Nodal Officer, BPD Unit, ICAR IIHR welcomed the dignitaries and the participants. Dr. Manjunath, B.L. Nodal Officer, ITMU explained about the activities of licensing of horticultural technologies and other related information to the trainees and Dr.S. Sriram, Head, Division of Crop Protection, explained about the importance of bee keeping and its role in value addition. Dr S.K Singh, Director, ICAR-IIHR, who has chaired the valedictory session, highlighted about business establishment in honey production, quality testing and value addition through FPOs or individual by utilizing the bee mission facility and other government schemes. He also emphasized on practicing whatever learnt from training by the participants at ABI, ICAR-IIHR and expressed hope that this training would give insight into honey production and value addition for small and medium level production. Training schedule included series of lectures such as basics of scope of beekeeping as a viable Horti-based enterprise, Role of bees in pollination, beekeeping with stingless bees and honey quality parameters, pesticide poisoning in honey bees and management, honey and value added products of beekeeping and practically explained handling bees, bee box setting, identification of queen, workers, drones, comb foundation sheet fixing, feeding of bees etc. A visit to IIHR apiary and poly house was arranged to learn about bee pollination, bee foraging on antigonon creeper. Technical sessions were conducted by Course Director, Dr. P. Venkata Rami Reddy, Course co-Directors Dr. B. R. Jayanthi Mala, Dr. Partha Choudhary, Dr.S.N. Bhagysree and other technical staffs from Division of Crop Protection.Training was designed in such way that participants should gain practical knowledge about scientific way of bee keeping and value addition. About ten participants from different parts of the Southern States of AP, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka attended this programme. Technical manuals along with the certificates were distributed to the participants. The formal vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Harish Kumar, Scientist, Div. of Social Sciences and Training. The entire programme was coordinated by BPD Unit, ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru.
