A Study on Honey Production and Marketing by the Marthandam Beekeepers' Co-Operative Society in Kanniyakumari District
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SHANLAX International Journal of Economics s han lax # S I N C E 1 9 9 0 A Study on Honey Production and Marketing by the Marthandam OPEN ACCESS Beekeepers’ Co-Operative Society in Volume: 8 Kanniyakumari District Issue: 2 K. Beula Ph.D. Research Scholar in Economics, Post Graduate Cum Research Centre Month: March Scott Christian College (Autonomous), Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India (Affiliated to M.S. University, Tirunelveli, India) Year: 2020 A. Anandhy P-ISSN: 2319-961X Associate Professor and Head, Post Graduate Cum Research Centre Scott Christian College (A), Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India E-ISSN: 2582-0192 (Affiliated to M.S. University, Tirunelveli, India) Received: 25.12.2019 Abstract In this paper, we explain honey production and marketing of the Marthandam Beekeepers Co- Operative Society in Kanniyakumari District. Honey is a sweet, liquid produced by honey bees Accepted: 29.01.2020 from nectars and other sweet substances of plants by the addition of their digestive enzymes and by ripening the resulting mixture. The variety of honey produced by honey bees is the best known, due to its worldwide commercial production and human consumption. Data for the present study Published: 01.03.2020 has been collected from primary sources of information. Hence, the Martandam Bee-keepers Co-operative Society, which faces production and marketing problems, should be rejuvenated and Citation: refurbished. Beula, K. and Anandhy, Keywords: Bee hive, Socio-economic condition, Income, Expenditure, Agriculture, Beekeeping A. “A Study on Honey Production and Marketing by the Marthandam Introduction Beekeepers’ Co-Operative India is primarily an agricultural country, and nearly three-fourth of its Society in Kanniyakumari population mainly depends on agriculture. In hills and forest areas, tribal people District.” Shanlax who are living on forest products concentrate on honey production through International Journal of beekeeping activities. Honey is the sweetest, most nutritious natural food Economics, vol. 8, no. 2, and has always been eagerly sought. Honey is an agro horticultural product. 2020, pp. 33-40. The word Madhu (honey) is as sweet, to the ear as its taste into the tongue. That is why the season of honey-flow was given the name of Madhumasa by the DOI: ancestors. Honey is a kind of stimulant. It enters the blood immediately, and https://doi.org/10.34293/ restores lost energy immediately. It has been accepted as an invaluable remedy economics.v8i2.1632 both in Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine from very ancient times. It has long been recognized as a true cosmetic. Indian honey compares well in all respects of its quality with the best of kinds of honey all over the world. Its quality standards are specified by various quality control organizations. This work is licensed There are three types of bees in a bee hive or a wild nest. They are a single under a Creative Commons female bee (queen bee), a seasonally variable number of male drone bees, and Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 20,000 to 40,000 female worker bees. Four species of bees are found in India, International License viz. Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis flora & Trigona. Among these, the highest honey producing species is Apis dorsata. It is densely populated in Maharashtra, U.P., Karnataka, Kerala, T.N., A.P., M.P., Gujarat, Rajasthan, W.B. & Punjab. http://www.shanlaxjournals.com 33 SHANLAX s han lax International Journal of Economics # S I N C E 1 9 9 0 Major honey production and its availability problem of honey of beekeepers co-operative in in the market normally come from Apis dorsata Marthandam. bee colonies. Due to gradual deforestation and • The respondents were not able to give a correct indiscriminate use of insecticides in modem picture of the expenditure pattern of their agriculture, the bee colonies in nature, particularly households. Apis dorsata and Apis cerana indica have slumped. • The study is restricted by honey agencies like YMCA Marthandam and the Marthandam Statement of the Problem beekeepers co-operative society. Honey is used by humanity as a portion of delicious and nutritious food, as well as medicine. Review of Literature Honey is a natural sweets syrup collected by Viji Kumar .V and Gladstone Joy. N (2017), honey bees, and man gets essential nutrition like in their journal “Honey Production and Marketing carbohydrates, minerals, amino acids, proteins, and - Overview, “analyze the problems involved in vitamins in a mutual form. Honey industries are one the production as well as the marketing of honey of the popular village industries of Kanniyakumari at the global level. The raw materials are in the District. This industry faced problems like lack form of nectar and pollen from flowers, which is of finance, lack of storage conveniences, price freely available in nature. Beekeeping generates fluctuations, and shortage in the supply of laborious employment to unemployed and underemployed persons with full employment and extra income. during peak season. Under these situations, the There is a need to boost apiculture to boost crop Marthandam Beekeepers Co-Operative Society productivity. The untapped potential of beekeeping came into existence in the year 1937. The society has is yet to be exploited for increasing opportunities for been making several interventions to encourage the gainful employment and income in the rural areas. development of the honey industry in Kanniyakumari Ramamoorthy, P.A(2014), in his article “Farmer District. In this context, an attempt has been made Friendly Honey Bees,” suggested that the farmer in this study to study the assistance made by society can enhance his income by learning and adopting to rejuvenate honey production in Kanniyakumari beekeeping techniques along with crop cultivation. District. Thus, the farmer can become self-reliant. This will enable him to get nature’s precious sweet honey Objectives of the Study from his farm. • The main objective of this study is to analyze the Sharma, B.S., and Ramesh Chand(2010), in production of honey in general and marketing their article, “Diversification and employment of honey in particular beekeeping Co-Operative through apiculture”, explained that the aim of the Society in Marthandam. development of beekeeping movement is reasonable • To understand the socio-economic conditions when we look at the present level of per capita of the selected sample, members of The consumption of honey in our country. It appears that Marthandam Beekeepers Co-Operative Society. increased production will easily be engrossed by • To study the income and expenditure pattern of conjugal demand. the same members. Dr. E. Raja Justus (1998), in his articles, • To identify the profile of The Marthandam “Beekeeping industry in Tamil Nadu,” points out Beekeepers Co-Operative Society. that Beekeeping is a gainful industry when compared • To examine the marketing of honey by The with other village industries. The Beekeeping Marthandam Beekeepers Co-Operative Society. industry in Tamil Nadu is performance and growing trend as far as employment is anxious. The value Limitations of the Study of production of the Bee-keeping industry in Tamil The major limitations of thee study are as follows Nadu is constantly increasing. This is a good sign of • The study is restricted to evaluate the marketing development and growth of the industry”. 34 http://www.shanlaxjournals.com SHANLAX International Journal of Economics s han lax # S I N C E 1 9 9 0 The Marthandam Beekeepers’ Co-Operative Table 1: Membership of the Marthandam Society Beekeepers Co-Operative Society Between Marthandam Beekeepers Co-Operative society 1990-’91 and 2015-’16 is a society of Honey beekeepers. The Marthandam Year Members Beekeepers Co-Operative Society is recognized 1990-91 1213 by Khadi and Village Industries Commission and 1991-92 1229 certified by Khadi & Village Industries Board. The 1992-93 1844 Society was started in the year 1937 paid-up share Capital of Rs.2.31-Lakhs. The Honey Purchased by 1993-94 1842 the society is processed, Agmarked (A-Grade), and 1994-95 1842 supplied all over India. The production of honey is 1995-96 1842 seasonal according to climatic conditions, February to 1996-97 1255 April, every year. The society is giving employment 1997-98 1263 opportunities to more than 10,000-individuals, 1998-99 1351 including men and women there are benefited. Bonus 1999-2000 1369 and Dividend are distributed to the members from 2000-01 1380 net profit earned by the society. 2001-02 1410 Tamilnadu Civil Supplies Corporation, 2002-03 1469 Tamilnadu Medicinal Plant, Sarvodaya Sanghams, and Private concerns are the regular customers of 2003-04 1484 Marthandam Bee-keepers Co-Operative society. 2004-05 1298 The motivation of this society is to promote honey 2005-06 1215 beekeepers. 2006-07 1292 The honey produced by the members is collected 2007-08 1322 by the society then purified, bottled with Agmark 2008-09 1356 certificate, and marketed to various parts of India. 2009-10 1363 By nature in our district, honey production is done 2010-11 1395 mainly from February to April. Marthandam Bee- 2011-12 1424 keepers Co-Operative society occupies first place in 2012-13 1370 Tamil Nadu for honey production and sales. Thus 2013-14 1368 the society plays a significant role in promoting honey production and marketing in Kanniyakumari 2014-15 1360 District. (Source: Purchase and Sales Book, Co- 2015-16 1359 Operative Society, 2018) Source: Purchase and Sales book of Co-Operative Society from 1990-’91 to 2015-’16 Membership of the Society Table No 1 shows the number of member Marthandam Beekeepers’ Co-Operative Society beekeepers in Marthandam Bee-keepers Co-Operative was started with 25 honey beekeepers. During the Society, during the period from 1990-91 to 2015-16. membership fee was Rs. 50 per member. It was In the year 1990-91, the total number of member increased to Rs.100 during the year 2010-11.