Rural Maharashtra woman builds organic honey business; earns Rs25 lakh annually

Like most women in rural India, Rohini Prakash Patil would help her family on the farm after finishing her household work. One day, she saw a newspaper advertisement about beekeeping for honey production. Intrigued, she began asking people about it, but nobody knew how honeybees could be reared to produce honey.

A local agriculture officer told her that the Khadigram Udyog Bee Keeping Training Institute in Mahabaleshwar provided training in beekeeping. “I went there in April 2014, but could not take the training as my child was just six months old. They agreed to come to my village for training if 35 members could attend,” Rohini tells 30Stades. 

As many women in and around Rohini’s Sulewadi village in Maharashtra’s Satara district were looking to learn about new livelihood opportunities, more than 35 people were available. “The team gave us training for five days, including rearing and caring for honeybees and honey extraction,” she says.

After the training, 15 women formed a self-help group for honey beekeeping (apiculture), contributing Rs5,000 each towards the capital. “However, since most women were also exploring other income opportunities, the group did not last long,” she says.

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

In 2017, Rohini decided to go solo. 

“I did not have money for investment after returning the capital of other members of SHGs. So I pawned my jewellery to take a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh to start beekeeping,” she says.

Today, Rohini earns an annual income of Rs25 lakh from organic honey and honeybee colonies. “I sell directly to customers. There is such a high demand that I don’t have to approach any wholesaler or retailer. Buyers come to my home-based unit,” she says.

Organic forest honey and pollination services

Rohini’s honey is special as she puts her honeybee boxes in forests around the Koyna Dam in Satara. “The region surrounding the Koyna Dam, part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, is home to a rich variety of medicinal plants. They include Jamun, Kumbha (Careya arborea), Amaltas, Anjan (Memecylon umbellatum), Hirda (Terminalia chebula) and many more,” she points out.

The bees move around within a 2-km radius from their hive, feeding on nectar and pollen from flowers, wild plants, and trees. The result is organic honey with medicinal properties.

Rohini currently has 112 bee boxes. Each box yields nearly 8 kg of honey a year, resulting in an annual production of around 880 to 900 kg. “I sell it at Rs1200 per kg,” she says.

With a decline in the honeybee population, farmers need to put wooden bee boxes in their fields for pollination. Good pollination is important for increased crop yields with higher-quality fruit or seed production. 

“I sell bee boxes with bees at Rs 7500 each to farmers for pollination,” she adds. 

Rohini is also a master trainer for honey beekeeping and conducts training programmes for government and non-government institutions for which she charges a fee.

Also Read: Architect turned beekeeper sets up organic honey business; revenues hit Rs 1.15 crore in second year

How forest honey is produced

“In September-October, I capture bees from natural beehives without destroying them so that the ecosystems of bees are not disturbed. In December and January, I put the boxes in the forest,” the rural woman entrepreneur says.

Every 15 days, she inspects the numbered boxes. “By March-end or the first week of April, we harvest about 2.5 kg of honey per box and put the hive back in the box. We harvest a second and final time in April-end or early May, procuring around 8 kg of honey per box in total,” Rohini points out.

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From May to September, when there is no work, Rohini provides training in beekeeping. “Then we clean the boxes which are vacated by bees. If they don’t leave, the older colonies are divided into two colonies,” she explains. 

From 35 bee boxes to Rs 25 lakh of income

After taking the loan against her jewellery, Rohini purchased 35 wooden bee boxes, each costing Rs 2700, from a vendor in Kolhapur. She also invested in protective gear, hive, bee brush for removing them from frames, honey extractor, queen catcher and queen excluder. 

“I purchased 10 honeybee colonies to populate the boxes, but most flew away, and my boxes remained empty. So I had to capture bees (technically called catching a swarm) from outdoor spaces to put them in the boxes,” she says, adding that she had learned the process during her training. 

With little experience, the first batch yielded 80 kg of honey from 35 boxes. Rohini sold it at Rs 600 per kg, earning Rs 48,000. “I put out messages on social media and WhatsApp groups about organic honey availability, but did not see much demand,” she says.

Then Rohini learned packaging and branding with support from NGO Dharma Life. “That prepared me to launch my brand as ‘Forest Honey’,” she says.

Rohini gradually expanded to 112 boxes. “As the income increased, I purchased a car and learned to drive. I have an office and am setting up a supermarket to sell honey and other organic products. Solar drying of vegetables and organic farming are next on my agenda,” she says.

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories around human interest, environment and art and culture)

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