Joypurhat has taken on a new look, with the hum of bees and mustard flowers all around. In winter, nearly every field in the district is now covered in mustard flowers. Many beekeepers are setting up bee boxes in various places to collect honey from other people's mustard fields. Beekeepers are profiting, while pollination by the bees is raising farmers' yields. Because mustard takes little cost and time, ordinary farmers are becoming interested in it.

The scene can be found beside the road from Biler Ghat to Jamalganj Charmatha in Tulsiganga union of Khetlal. Beekeepers have come from different parts of the country to collect honey.

On the spot, Khorshed from Narayanganj and Shahanur of Jamalpur union in Joypurhat Sadar upazila were collecting honey on both sides of the road. They collect honey from the hives from morning to afternoon every day and sell it to local people.

Beekeeper Shahanur Islam said: "I have been collecting honey for about 8-9 years. This year I am working at two sites, one of them at Puranapoil in Joypurhat. I have been collecting honey here for about 20 days and have so far collected about 16 maunds. I am selling it at Tk 400 a kg."

Beekeeper Khorshed said: "I have set up about 100 boxes made of steel and wood to collect honey. I get 6-7 kg of honey from each box. Over the past 20 days I have collected 15-16 maunds from all the boxes together, and I have sold it at Tk 400 a kg."

Rafiqul Islam of Jamalganj said: "Seeing honey being collected by the road, I stopped my motorbike and bought some. You get completely natural, pure honey here, and it is a little cheaper too. So I will buy a larger amount to take home."

According to the upazila office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), mustard was grown on 1,280 hectares in the upazila last year. This year, thanks to support and encouragement for farmers under the agricultural incentive programme, it has been grown on 1,420 hectares, somewhat more than last year.

Upazila agriculture officer Jahidur Rahman said: "Bees moving through mustard fields help pollinate the flowers, so the mustard yield is also higher."

Liton Chandra Ghosh, deputy manager of BSCIC in Joypurhat, said: "A target of 30 tonnes of honey has been set for the district this season. We have advised and encouraged 100 farmers, and beekeeping training has also been given in the past, so that they can benefit financially from beekeeping."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.