Bantwal: Sudhakar Poojary from Kepu village has turned the premises of his house full of honeycombs. Flowers in its full bloom and bees sucking the nectar, turning it out into honey always fascinated him for long. In addition, the government's push for apiculture due to its minimum investment, maximum profit attribute led his pursuit of twenty years.
He has created a small industrial unit of beekeeping in his house. In order to be insightful of the apiculture, he accompanied a horticulturist in Puttur for more than a decade. After gaining 18 years of real-time experience, he ventured out to start his own business. Two years ago, he built a small beekeeping shed near his home and began making beehives.
As the demand for beekeeping cooperatives and private beekeepers increased, Sudhakar expanded his unit to produce not only beehives but also a full range of tools, bee refineries, box stands, artificial wax sheets, mouthpieces. Now there are about 400 beehives in his unit.
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Horticulture Department also supported his efforts by providing beehive boxes and a group of honey bees. Sudhakar has been selling the same to farmers now. His wife, Harinakshi and son Vishruth help him in separating the bees as a family and queen bee. In 2019, the state government's horticulture department identified his unit as official honeycomb production unit under the apiculture development programme.
Farmers reach here from far-flung places to gain more information and also to buy beehive boxes and bee family. Beekeepers in Bantwal, Belthangady, Puttur and other districts of the state have started visiting their unit.
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