Busy as a bee!

Anyone visiting Magura and its adjoining Jhenidah will notice a certain change in the scenery: the croplands look like yellow and green canvases.

This means the mustard plants are in full bloom.

A mustard field is not just for producing mustard seeds. It brings honey too. And that's the thought that has changed the fate of around 25 beekeepers in the aforementioned regions.

According to Department of Agricultural Extension in Magura, around 900-1,000 beehive boxes have been set up in Magura's Raghabdari union and Jhenidah's Tikari bazar, producing about 500-maund honey last year. The target for this year is 650-700 maunds.

During a recent visit to Raghabdari, this correspondent met beekeeper Mazedul Islam who has already collected 16 maunds of honey, selling each for Tk 7,000-8,000.

"If the weather is favourable, the yield will be good till January 20," said Mazedul, who is currently employing four workers for a daily wage of Tk 400.

The beekeepers had already collected 250-maund honey by December.

"After January 20, we will turn to collect nectar from litchi, lentil, and black cumin flowers," said Bikarul Islam of Tikari Bazar, who has already sold 50-maund honey for Tk 8,000 per unit.

The production is best between December and January, and the sales are also good. The honey collected from mustard flowers is sold for Tk 350-400 per kilo, said beekeeper Anarul Islam.

"No nectar-boring flower blooms between June and November. So we feed sugar to the bees during this time to ensure their survival," he added.

Many local traders collect the honey from the bee farms and sell it locally to retailers.

Reazul Islam, a grocer at Kaliganj Market, said, "Buying a kilo for Tk 400, I make around Tk 100-200 profit from selling it as the product is in high demand."

Asgar Ali, deputy director at the Department of Agricultural Extension, said the yield is usually good if the weather is favourable.