New Delhi, June 5 (IANS): The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has resumed the 'Honey Mission' programme after the relaxation of the Covid-19 induced lockdown. The KVIC has restarted this programme from the Chullyu village in Arunachal Pradesh, with the distribution of 250 bee boxes immediately after the lockdown was relaxed.

Chullyu, a plastic-free village, is inhabited by environment-conscious people and produces high-quality organic vegetables and fruits, including sweet potato, peas, pineapple, peach, plum, almond, litchi, papaya and walnut which provide abundant pollen and nectar to the honeybees.

"The tribal population in the village wears mostly Khadi and uses banana leaves for eating and cups and glasses made up of bamboo for drinking purposes. Since there is no use of plastic in the village, it provides a clean pollution free environment conducive for the working of honeybees and producing high-quality honey," said a statement from KVIC.

KVIC Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena said, "The initiative is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for 'self-reliance' by promoting local industries. Beekeeping will not only increase honey production, but also other products such as bee wax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom, which are also marketable and can fetch good sums to the villagers without having to migrate to other cities for jobs."

"Increasing the number of bee colonies will ultimately boost the overall agricultural and horticultural products in the region," he added.

The KVIC is planning to distribute 3,000 bee boxes in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.