Nepali Beekeepers Urge Government to Prioritize Domestic Honey Over Imports

Beekeepers in Chitwan, a district in southern Nepal, have submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister, through Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal urging the government to reconsider its decision to prioritize imported honey.

A decision was made on October 13 in the presence of Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr Madan Prasad Pariyar and in coordination with the Federation of Nepal Beekeepers, to purchase 10 metric tons of ‘mustard honey’ from local bee farmers and to grant import permission for 125 metric tons of honey for Dabur Nepal and 40 metric tons for Patanjali Ayurveda as part of the second quarterly quota.

Local bee farmers have opposed the move, arguing it could harm the beekeeping industry and that only a few stakeholders were involved in the decision-making process.

Outgoing president of the Federation,Shiva Poudel said allowing foreign honey imports during Nepal’s main honey production season (Ashoj to Chaitra) is not in the interest of domestic farmers.

He called for government support to promote domestic honey production and marketing while implementing import substitution programs.

Nepal produces roughly 1,500 metric tons of mustard honey, 2,000 metric tons of Chiuri honey and 500 metric tons of other varieties annually.

Commercial beekeeping began in 1994 in Nepal. (RSS)