Faculty of Agriculture Wadura celebrates World Bee Day

GNS ONLINE SOPORE
SHAKIR BHAT

SOPORE MAY 20:— The World Bee Day was celebrated at Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura Campus on May 20, 2022. The event was organized by the Division of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, in collaboration with Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare District Baramulla. Every year World Bee Day is celebrated on May 20 with an aim to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators in the ecosystem. It is observed mainly to raise public awareness about the importance of bees in maintaining biodiversity. It also provides an opportunity to organization’s, civil societies, and concerned citizens worldwide to promote actions that will protect and improve pollinators and their habitats, increase their population and support the long-term development of beekeeping. This year’s theme for the day was “Bee Engaged: Celebrating the diversity of bees and beekeeping systems”. The key objective of this theme is to draw attention towards the various threats & challenges these pollinators face, while focusing on their contribution to livelihoods and food chain system.
Dean Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Raihana H. Kanth in her inaugural address briefed about the Bees’ role in agriculture and their untiring role on crop pollination and other services attributed to enhanced crop productivity. She also stressed on the need of organizing the training programmes on scientific beekeeping. Accentuating on making beekeeping as an integral part of farming to attain higher profits on a regular basis, she also encouraged the rural youths to come forward and become beekeeping entrepreneurs. Mr. Yadvinder Singh Sason, CAO Baramulla highlighted the scope of ornamental plants in conservation of pollinator fauna in rural and urban areas. He also informed about the activities of the department in conservation of pollinator fauna and scope of floriculture based beekeeping for doubling the farmers’ income and employment generation. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Farooq Ahmad Progressive Beekeeper, emphasized the farmers and unemployed youth to adopt beekeeping to increase their income resources. He expressed satisfaction that beekeeping is being well adopted in the Kashmir valley for increasing crop productivity and food security. Dr. Mohd Ayoub Mantoo, HoD Entomology delivered an expert lecture on role of beekeeping in increasing agricultural production and productivity. He also stressed upon the beekeeping awareness and importance of bee derived products. The programme was attended by heads of various divisions, faculty members, progressive farmers and more than 45 UG/PG students of the faculty. Mr. Barkat Apiculture Development Officer presented the vote of thanks.