PESHAWAR  -  Fixing steel nails in wooden bee boxes under a bare tree on the bank of River Kabul, Hussain Khan, a progressive beekeeper, is making determined efforts to prepare them before the onset of spring. As the sun bathes the house of the 35-year-old beekeeper, he starts his car to reach his farmhouse in Pashtoon Ghari village, Nowshera, where he and his co-beekeepers prepare 500 bee boxes to take advantage of the blossoming bee-flora plants and flower buds.

“After the untimely death of my parents, life became a nightmare as my relatives pressured me for the large amount borrowed for their treatment. This forced me to leave my education incomplete and join the painstaking beekeeping business,” said Hussain, with tearful eyes. “Initially, I purchased 50 bee boxes in 2020, and by the grace of Allah Almighty, they increased to 500 within four years. My hard work enabled me to return the borrowed amount and establish a beekeeping farmhouse,” he said.

Hussain stated that beekeeping is a cost-efficient profession, and anyone investing Rs500,000 can earn up to Rs100,000 per month. Employing two laborers, he plans to travel to Punjab and Azad Kashmir, where bee-flora plants are abundant under the Prime Minister’s Green Pakistan Program. He urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to focus on planting native species like palosa, bair, and shisham, provide interest-free loans to beekeepers, and regulate honey-selling rates.

Sher Zaman, General Secretary of the All Pakistan Beekeepers Association, said Pakistan’s biodiversity and climate conditions are highly suitable for beekeeping and require government support to curb unemployment. More than 700 bee-flora plants grow in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, AJK, and Gilgit-Baltistan, attracting millions of indigenous and exotic honey bees each year. He highlighted that rural areas in Punjab, KP, Sindh, and Balochistan are most suited for beekeeping, with Pakistan’s honey exports increasing to various countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, and China, due to its superior taste and quality.

Zaman called for better marketing strategies to enhance honey exports and urged the issuance of identification cards for beekeepers to prevent losses at check-posts. He also emphasized imposing a ban on cutting berry and palosa trees and enforcing strict punishment for illegal logging to protect thousands of bees from extinction.

Iftikhar Khalil, former Director of Apiculture/NTFP, said Pakistan is home to four major honey bee species: Apis Cerana (small bee), Apis Dorsata (wild bee), Apis Florea (little bee), and the exotic Apis Mellifera. The country has over 450,000 colonies producing 12,000 metric tons of honey annually. Mellifera produces 20 to 25 kg of honey per colony, while Apis Dorsata can yield 40 to 45 kg per hive. He warned that deforestation and climate change threaten wild bees and stressed the need for conservation efforts.

Khalil noted that beekeepers require training to manage rising food costs and cultivate bee-flora plants. He emphasized the importance of a national apiculture policy, establishing high standards for bee products and equipment, and promoting beekeeping as a viable business to compete globally. Research projects at Tarnab, Peshawar, Faisalabad, and the National Agriculture Research Centre in Islamabad have been analyzing Mellifera’s properties since 1979.

However, he warned that Apis Mellifera is highly vulnerable to bacterial infections such as American and European foulbrood diseases, which can cause significant losses if left untreated.

Dr. Naeem Khattak, former Chairman of the Economics Department, said beekeeping can help reduce unemployment in Pakistan. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2023-24, approximately 4.5 million people are unemployed, with the highest rate among youth aged 15-24 at 11.1%. He stressed the need for a national bee breeding program to meet local demands for high-quality queens and promote commercial beekeeping and related products.

Musawar Khan, Adviser to the Chief Minister of KP for Forests, said bees are essential to Pakistan’s ecosystem, and the government prioritizes bee-friendly species in tree plantations. Extensive training programs for beekeepers are underway, and thousands of bee boxes have been distributed among flood-affected beekeepers. He highlighted the introduction of a new honey type, “Margalla,” beneficial for asthma and allergy patients, alongside “Ber” and “Kalongi” honey, which offer various health benefits to consumers.