The number of farmers engaged in commercial beekeeping in Dang district has been increasing. Favorable climate conditions in the region have encouraged more people to take up this occupation.
Shridhan Gharti of Supaila Khuti, Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan City–18, is busy tending to his beehives. It has been 17 years since he began this work. “After spending seven years abroad for employment, I returned and started a beekeeping business. My family has also been very supportive,” he said. The 58-year-old has been operating his commercial beekeeping farm in Dumbargaun of Ghorahi-13.
Gharti currently has 150 bee colonies on his farm. He has been earning a good income from this enterprise, producing about seven tons of honey annually. “My family helps me, and after gaining some knowledge about beekeeping, I started doing it commercially. I don’t even have to take my honey to the market—most customers come directly to my home,” he said. “After returning from foreign employment, I started this business. It doesn’t require too much investment, and the income is good. I plan to continue expanding this business in the future.”
Gharti generates an annual turnover of around NRs 1.6 million from beekeeping, with savings of about NRs 700,000. He sells honey at NRs 500 per kilogram.
Similarly, 60-year-old Deepak Kumar Magar has also spent the past two decades caring for bees. He says the income from beekeeping has been consistently good. A resident of Turuntpur in Ghorahi-13, Magar has been in the business for 26 years.
Magar said that the lucrative returns from honey production have motivated more farmers to join the sector. “It has been 26 years since I started commercial beekeeping. It has been a long time, and the income has remained good. My family also supports me,” he said.
He also produces beekeeping equipment and supplies, distributing modern beekeeping materials to neighboring districts including Rolpa, Salyan and Pyuthan.
Although Magar’s farm has a capacity for 200 colonies, he currently keeps around 100. He produces about 35 quintals of honey annually. He said that proper care during the rainy season and extreme cold helps ensure good yields and steady growth of bee colonies. He added that because the honey is of high quality, most of it sells directly from his home.
Likewise, Krishna Bahadur Dangi and Janaki Dangi of Githepani, Ghorahi-18, earn more than NRs 100,000 per month from honey sales. The couple has been involved in beekeeping for the past 15 years and keeps more than 105 colonies, earning an annual income of around NRs 1.3 million.
According to Prithvi Raj Lamichhane, Information Officer and Agricultural Economist at the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, there are more than 500 commercial beekeepers in the district.
