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DIMAPUR — The quinquennial review of All India Coordinated Research Project on Honey Bees and Pollinators (AICRP on HBP) for the centres of North East Zone concluded on November 22, after two days of review of activities conducted at the AICRP Honey bees centres in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur.
The quinquennial review team (QRT) comprised of central team chaired by Dr. HC Sharma, former vice chancellor of Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, HP; Dr. Sachin S Suroshe, project coordinator AICRP HB and P; Dr. RK Thakur, former Project coordinator, AICRP HB and P; Dr. K Lakshmi Rao, ex-joint director CBRTI, Pune; Dr. DP Abrol, former dean SKUAST Jammu, and Dr. MR Srinivasan, professor TNAU.
According to an update, the team arrived Nagaland on November 19 to conduct the review of activities of AICRP HB and P in the North East Zone. The two-day programme started with the formal welcome of the QRT on November 20 during the inaugural session by the pro vice chancellor, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University (SAS, NU), Prof. Akali Sema.
Chairman of QRT, Dr. HC Sharma, in his opening remarks, deliberated on the purpose of their visit. The other members of the QRT also shared their remarks before the start of the technical session.
This was followed by the presentations made by different centres on the progress made by them in the last five years and the work of plan for the next five years.
Dr. Mukul Kumar Deka, Assam centre; Dr. Nilima Karam, Manipur centre, and Dr. Avinash Chauhan, Nagaland centre, presented their reports for the period 2018-2023.
The technical session was followed by the visit of the QRT along with the participating centres to the Apiary and Meliponiary of Nagaland Centre located at SAS, NU where the team lauded the efforts of the centre in development of scientific stingless bee hives and maintaining the diversity of stinging and stingless bees.
During their visit the QRT team also interacted with the students viewed the different value-added products like bee wax candles, honey soaps, honey gooseberry candies and honey mead.
On November 21, the QRT visited villages under Peren and Chümoukedima districts to see the implementation of technologies developed at the Nagaland Centre where they interacted with the farmers and beekeepers and discussed the needs and problems faced by the apiculturists and meliponiculturists of the region.
The team also visited their bee farms and homestead apiaries and interacted with the owners. The team expressed their happiness to see the implementation of scientific stingless beekeeping at field level and to see the integrated farming system in the region.
The chairman and members of the QRT urged the farmers and beekeepers to start hive manufacturing units at village levels and value addition of their products for the stable and increased income.