PASIGHAT, Jun 25: The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) East Siang unit organized awareness and capacity development programme on bee keeping cum input distribution programme for doubling farmers’ income at the KVK-ATIC building, College of Horticulture & Forestry (CHF), Central Agricultural University (CAU) here.
Forty-three progressive farmers from Mebo, Pasighat and Ruksin blocks of the district attended the programme.
Head of KVK East Siang, CHF, CAU, Dr Mahesh Pathak elaborated the prospects and potential of bee keeping in Arunachal Pradesh. He also emphasized on the importance of bee keeping as a pollinator of field and horticultural crops for increasing production and productivity of these crops in the state.
Dr Pathak advised the progressive farmers to take up bee keeping along with cultivation of fields as well as horticultural crops for doubling farmers’ income by 2022 in the state.
Earlier, KVK East Siang SMS Plant Protection, Toge Riba briefed on the activities performed by the centre for the benefit of the farming community of Arunachal Pradesh. He also emphasized on importance of apiculture as an enterprise for small and marginal farmers.
Dr Pathak and Riba also delivered lectures on scientific bee keeping and prospects of apiculture in the Siang belt for improving the socioeconomic condition of the farm families in the region.
During the interaction session, progressive farmers Basu Tatak, Nanong Goi, Gumbo Tayeng and Oking Ering highlighted the bee keeping scenario in the district and also urged the gathering to adopt scientific bee keeping along with raising field and horticultural crops for higher crop production.
SMS Home Science Th E Vida, SMS Fisheries SM Hussain, and Engg Rakesh Salam also shared their views on importance of value addition, nutritional gardening, fisheries and farm mechanization for doubling farmers’ income.
Other progressive farmers also expressed their views on beekeeping, crop production and protection in the district.
Later, seeds of bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers, neem based organic manure and soil conditioner, neem oil and paddy variety P-1612 were distributed among select farmers of the district.
