ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan is participating, as Chief Guest, in the launching ceremony of Billion Tree Honey initiative today in the federal capital.
This initiative is part of the Prime Minister’s vision of a Clean & Green Pakistan. It aims at promoting tree plantation to support the production of Honey in the country under the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (TBTTP).
Accordingly, plantation of plants including Kao, Phulai, Ber, Kikar and other bee flora is being encouraged under TBTTP. Meanwhile, an exclusive analysis was conducted of Honey Production in the country to device a mechanism for encouraging the promotion of bee flora, improving quality of honey production, providing livelihood to the beekeepers and sustain the activity through the provision of financial resources.
#Islamabad: PM @ImranKhanPTI attends launching ceremony of Billion Tree Honey Initiative https://t.co/66HWr9v0G1
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) December 21, 2020
It is estimated that about 10,000 beekeepers are using 300,000 colonies for producing 7,500 metric tons of honey annually. The potential can be enhanced to produce 70,000 metric tons of honey from the same harvest by using modern beekeeping gears, training on the latest techniques, standardization/certification of the product and intensive marketing. It is anticipated that the marketing of 70,000 metric tons of honey will generate an income of about Rs. 35-43 billion in the national economy and provide about 87,000 green jobs.
The ‘Billion Tree Honey” Initiative is being launched by the MoCC as a coherent effort of different Ministries/ Agencies to promote Apiculture in the country. The existing forestry resource available in the Protected Areas and the new areas being planted/regenerated under TBTTP till 2022-23 is estimated to expand up to about 5.5 million hectares. The requisite forest resource shall be used by the beekeepers to produce honey specific to particular flora and shall be branded accordingly.
Forest cover in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has increased to 27% from 20% since the launch of #BillionTreeTsunami Afforestation campaign by PM @ImranKhanPTI in the province????
Next target is planting 10 Billion trees across the country????????https://t.co/Ixg2zSPp4D pic.twitter.com/2POuEpepfM
— PTI (@PTIofficial) December 21, 2020
The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) shall provide training to the selected beekeepers along with technical support, follow-up of on-ground activities and product extraction. The certified beekeepers shall be provided financial support through Kamyab Jawan Programme.
The Ministry of Science and Technology shall be responsible for certifying the honey produced under the programme. As an option the certified product, shall be purchased by the National Agriculture Technology Park (NATP), branded and marketed as ‘Billion Tree Honey’.
NATP is a public company limited by the share that is registered with SECP under section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017 aligned with the Ministry of Science and Technology. The NAP shall provide an end to end solution for promoting and marketing quality honey nationally and internationally. A pilot testing of the programme shall be initiated at selected sites during the upcoming Spring 2020.
