Ex-politician turns beekeeper, sells buckwheat honey at Rs 10,000 per kg

In the Remala Sahi village, under the Harichandrapur block of Keonjhar district, Odisha, Maheswar Mohanta has made a remarkable transition from a politician to a successful beekeeper. The son of farmer Daitari Mohanta, he entered politics soon after his graduation in 2001 and spent 15 years with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

But by 2016, I felt disconnected from the profession I once loved. I quit active politics and returned to farming, cultivating paddy and sunflower on five acres with my father,” Maheswar tells 30Stades.

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Yet farming alone did not satisfy his entrepreneurial ambition. Determined to carve out a distinct identity, Maheswar began exploring new agricultural ventures. “While browsing the internet, I came across success stories of beekeepers. The idea gripped me,” he says.

In 2019-20, he underwent a seven-day scientific beekeeping training programme at the Beekeeping Training Institute in Gangoh, Uttarakhand, under the National Horticulture Mission (NHM). He was among 30 farmers from Odisha whose training was sponsored by the National Bee Board and organised by Gangoh-based Jyoti Gramodyog Sansthan.

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First investment and first failure

Armed with training, Maheswar launched his first beekeeping venture with an investment of Rs 4.5 lakh collected from friends and family. He purchased 100 colonies of the Italian bee species Apis mellifera from Amba in Madhya Pradesh. The investment, however, was a complete loss.

“Mellifera bee species could not survive in the temperature of our area, which sometimes exceeds 40 degrees during summer. I have learnt later that the ideal temperature, conducive to the survival of this species, ought to be up to 25 degrees,” says Maheswar.

The setback was costly but instructive. Instead of quitting, he changed his approach.

Second attempt with a scientific approach

In 2021, after a one-day training under the Department of Entomology of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology through the All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Honey Bees and Pollinators, Maheswar shifted to indigenous ‘Saptapheni’ (Apis cerana indica) bees.

“I collected two colonies of Saptapheni honeybees from the hives in tree buns and gnarls in the nearby jungle. Set in my sunflower field, each colony yielded two kg of organic honey during November-December in 2021. I sold it at Rs 600 per kg,” says Maheswar.

“Inspired by the profits, I began rearing 30 colonies of Saptapheni that evolved out of the original two. It once again proved a massive success,” he adds.

Also Read: From Rs17,000 salary to Rs17 lakh annual turnover, how beekeeping changed the fortunes of this Odisha man

This marked the turning point, he notes.

Crop diversification for premium honey

To maximise returns, Maheswar adopted a crop-linked honey production strategy. Instead of relying on wild flora, he began cultivating specific flowering crops to produce high-value honey varieties.

He received support from the Lucknow-based Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants under the CSIR-Aroma Mission.

“We freely provided Maheswar with 5000 Shisir tulsi cuttings, one kg of Soumya tulsi seeds, and 500 grams of Ayu tulsi seeds, 150 mentha suckers and 1.5 kg of German chamomile under the CIMAP (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)-Aroma Mission in phases,” says Dr Prashant Kumar Rout, Scientist-F at CIMAP.

Maheswar also purchased four kg of buckwheat seeds online at Rs 500 per kg.

Today, he grows three varieties of tulsi on two acres, placing about 40 bee boxes between February and July. Each box yields about 2 kg of honey, which he sells for Rs. 1,200 per kg.

In winter, he cultivates buckwheat on two acres. “Flowering begins four to six weeks after sowing. I install nearly 35 boxes, each yielding up to 1.5 kg of honey. I sell buckwheat honey at Rs 10,000 per kg,” he says.

“Buckwheat honey has powerful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties because of its profuse polyphenol content. So Ayurvedic doctors prescribe it for keeping the liver healthy and supporting the cardiovascular and digestive systems. That’s why its per kg price is higher than other types of honey,” says Bhubaneswar-based nutritionist Dr Ayushman Tripathy.

On one acre of post-paddy German chamomile, he places about 30 boxes. Each yields two kg of honey, sold at Rs 5,000 per kg.

Additionally, he places 40 to 50 boxes in mango, tamarind and eucalyptus fields with prior permission from landowners, selling those varieties at Rs 600 per kg.

Infrastructure, costs and operations

Initially, Maheswar purchased bee boxes with colonies at about Rs 5,000 each. Now he manufactures them himself and sells each for Rs 5,500 to 6,000.

“I am very particular about choosing the wood of specific trees to make bee boxes. I use timbers of  Gamhari, Saguan and Babool trees," he says.

"Boxes made using wood from other trees emanate a foul smell even during a drizzle. It repels bees,” says Maheswar.

“Bees never collect honey during rain. Therefore, I feed them with sugar or jaggery syrup during rainy days when the bees do not get out of their hives,” he adds.

He employs seven permanent workers at Rs 500 per day each. During peak workload, he hires seven additional labourers at Rs 350 per day.

Financial growth and expansion

His structured approach has paid off. In 2022-23, he clocked a turnover of more than Rs 20 lakh. The achievement drew attention from the Odisha unit of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) under the Union Ministry of MSME. He was selected among 30 beekeepers for master trainer training at the State Beekeeping Extension Centre in Bhubaneswar. Since then, he has trained over 500 budding beekeepers.

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In 2024, he underwent advanced training at the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management on larvae rearing, royal jelly extraction, wax preparation, bee venom and pollen collection, and soap-making.

He has since added value-added products to his portfolio.

Using 70 percent soap base, 20 percent honey and 10 percent beeswax, along with natural aroma and Vitamin-E, he manufactures 100-gram soaps priced at Rs 50 each. He also produces beeswax from rejected hives and sells it at Rs 400 per kg.

For expansion, Maheswar secured a bank loan of Rs 9 lakh for mint, tulsi, chamomile and ashwagandha cultivation. “The horticulture department has provided Rs 3 lakh as a subsidy (that comprises 50 percent of the material cost). Out of the total Rs 9 lakh, I have invested nearly Rs 2 lakh to procure machines like drier, storage system, stationary and mobile freezers and bee venom extraction equipment,” says Maheswar.

CIMAP also installed a distillation unit at Harichandanpur block headquarters at a cost of nearly Rs 5 lakh for eight farmers, including him.

From over Rs 20 lakh turnover in 2022-23, Maheswar has crossed Rs 40 lakh in 2025. With plans to trade in essential oils, ashwagandha powder (Rs 700 per kg) and buckwheat flour (‘Kuttu Atta’) priced at Rs 295 per kilogram, he now targets an annual turnover exceeding Rs 85 lakh within two years.

“It is now a diversified agro-beekeeping enterprise,” he says.

(Niroj Ranjan Misra is a Cuttack-based freelance writer. He writes on rural and tribal life, social issues, art and culture, and sports.)

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