JAMMU : In light of the excellent research being conducted at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-J) on honeybees and pollinators, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has sanctioned a full-fledged- All India Coordinating Research Centre on Honeybees and Pollinators under the supervision of Dr D.P Abrol, Professor and Head, Division of Entomology, SKUAST-Jammu who is internationally known apiculture scientist.
The center has been sanctioned faculty positions and supporting staff to work on various aspects of honey bee management, honeybee diseases, multiplication of honeybees and pollinators for enhancing crop productivity. Dr. Abrol has made tremendous contribution in the field of apiculture research and academics, and was recently nominated as Chief Editor of an international journal of entomology namely Academic Journal of Entomology (AJE).
The centre on honeybee research shall help in exploitation of the vast potential available for beekeeping in the state of Jammu and Kashmir besides augmenting the productivity of honey and crops, as honeybees are excellent pollinators. World over honeybees are associated with increasing the productivity of crops by at least 20 per cent.
The project will help in rejuvenation of honeybee industry in the State and augmenting farmers’ income. Honeybee enterprise can be set up by the unemployed youth for livelihood security. For this the university organises three months diploma course for providing skills to rural youth for setting up honeybee enterprise.
