Vol. 12, Special Issue 12 (2023)

Author(s):
Virandra Yadav, Devinder Sharma, Manoj Thakur, Bhumika Rathour, Marvi Khajuria, Bhumika Kapoor and Jitender Shakya

Abstract:
In the present study a total number of 120 beekeepers were selected from Jammu, Kathua and Ramban districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Data was collected using a personal interview method based on a questionnaire. The constraints faced by beekeepers were categories into five groups viz. socio-economic, technological, administrative, environmental and marketing, and management. The study revealed that major socio-economic constraints faced by beekeepers were lack of capital for establishing beekeeping enterprises (58.35%), followed by a lack of continuous income generation (37.50%) in the beekeeping enterprise. The major technological constraints faced by the respondents were lack of a honey processing unit (90.83%), lack of training in the production of bee value-added products (86.67%), and lack of knowledge about the identification of diseases and enemies (72.50%). However, lack of loan facilities (82.50%) and migration subsidies (80%) were the major administrative constraints faced by beekeepers. The shortage of bee flora was a major environmental constraint, reported by 47.50% of the respondents. Lack of attractive packaging for honey (85.84%), lack of customer reliance on quality of honey (81.67%), and lack of market for other beehive products besides honey (76.67%) were the major marketing and management constraints reported by the beekeepers. In order to overcome these constraints and to support beekeeping enterprises, regular training in scientific beekeeping, provision of institutional finance on reasonable interest, migration subsidy, and improvement in marketing structure of bee products are the major steps necessary to be taken by the Government and other organizations.