Kathmandu, July 12

Domestic beekeepers have boycotted the ongoing Honey Fair being organised by the government.

Stating that the government organised the event without consulting the entrepreneurs and just to increase government expenditure at the end of the ongoing fiscal year, entrepreneurs today announced that they are not taking part in the Honey Fair this year.

The four-day event which kicked off at Bhrikutimandap on Tuesday has been organised by the Directorate of Industrial Entomology Development (DoIED) of the Department of Agriculture (DoA).

“We had been informed about the event just two days prior to its commencing date and there just wasn’t enough time for us to prepare to participate in the event. Nevertheless, the government went ahead with the event even as major beekeepers of the country did not participate and only a handful of retail shops of Kathmandu Valley are taking part in the event,” said Ram Prasad Poudel, president of the Federation of Beekeeping Nepal (FBN), adding that thousands of beekeepers associated with FBN, Nepal Beekeeping Central Cooperative and Nepal Central Beekeeping Association will boycott the event.

Beekeepers also claimed that the government has been overlooking the problems of beekeepers and seems unwilling to promote the beekeeping industry.

“Though the government has listed honey as one of the major exportable domestic products, it is unjust to formulate new policies regarding beekeeping and honey export and organise such events without consultation with and participation of domestic beekeepers,” said Arjun Pokharel, president of Nepal Central Beekeeping Association.

Meanwhile, DoIED has appealed to beekeepers to participate in the event as it aims to promote their business. “We have organised the Honey Festival for the betterment of beekeeping industry and urge entrepreneurs involved in this sector to participate in the event,” an official of DoIED said.

As per entrepreneurs of beekeeping industry, almost 10,000 farmers are engaged in beekeeping business across the country, and produce around 2,000 metric tonnes of honey every year.