Deupur’s farmer Tikaram Timilsina, once renowned as Parbat district’s top oranges producer, has now shifted to commercial beekeeping which fetches him Rs 3.5 million annually. He left orange farming for the more lucrative profession of beekeeping.
Timilsina, who planted over 300 orange trees in the garden in front of his house and developed a large orange orchard in the village, faced a setback when the orange trees started dying. Seeing no future in orange farming, he turned his attention to beekeeping.
Initially, he began by keeping a few bees in his backyard. Timilsina explained that he expanded his business as the demand for honey began to grow. He started keeping bees of the 'Apis cerana' breed, which is well-suited for hill areas.
Timilsina shared, "Customers come here to buy the honey. There’s no need to go out to sell high-quality honey. In fact, we struggle to meet customers’ demand."
His farm has also become a source of beehives and bees distributed with subsidies by various municipalities. Last year, he sold over 100 beehives in coordination with the Agriculture Knowledge Center and the Modi Rural Municipality.
His house is surrounded by beehives, and his daily routine involves caring for the beehives from dawn till dusk. Timilsina is a shining example of how hard work can lead to substantial earnings, even in a village setting.
Professionally engaged in beekeeping for the past 24 years, Timilsina has more than 100 beehives and reports an annual income of up to Rs 3.5 million. He faced a 50 percent loss due to cold weather in his early years, but recent years have met his income expectations. He extracts honey twice a year and has become a model beekeeper in the district since starting commercial beekeeping in 2000.
The honey produced on his farm is sold far and wide from his home, and it has gained a reputation as a brand in markets across Kathmandu, Chitwan, Butwal, and beyond. "Businesspeople from areas like Kusmabazar, Baglung, Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Butwal come here to buy directly from us," he said.
After receiving training with support from various organisations, Timilsina’s interest in beekeeping grew. He now sells not only honey but also beehives and beeswax. He earns over Rs 2 million each year from the sale of hives with bees, which are priced at Rs 10,000 per hive, and honey, which sells at Rs 1,000 per kg. He shared that he harvested more than seven quintals of honey in one season.
People involved in this business note that beekeeping does not require large initial investments like some other professions, yet it offers considerable income. Umakant Sharma, a prominent farmer, said that beekeeping has become more attractive to farmers because it does not demand continuous labour like vegetable farming, animal husbandry, or poultry farming.
According to him, professional beekeepers from Deupur, Mallaj, Bhangra, Kurgha, Thanamaula, Pangrang, Bachcha, and Lunkhu now produce and sell over 100 hives annually. Honey production is also increasing in proportion. -- RSS
