Nagaland can support up to 22 lakh bee colonies, offering significant scope for sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity conservation, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said on Thursday while highlighting the state’s Beekeeping & Honey Mission.
Sharing details of the mission, Rio said Nagaland has the potential to produce as much as 10,000 metric tonnes of honey and 10 metric tonnes of beeswax annually, though current production stands at around 440 metric tonnes.
Launched in 2007, the Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission aims to strengthen rural livelihoods through beekeeping and honey-based enterprises, while conserving indigenous apiculture practices and protecting diverse bee species and their natural habitats.
The Chief Minister said rearing of Apis cerana Himalaya remains an age-old practice among Naga tribes and is closely linked to socio-cultural and religious traditions. At present, an estimated 1.2 lakh Apis cerana colonies are reared in the state, producing about 320 metric tonnes of honey annually.
He also highlighted the importance of wild bee species, including rock bees (Apis dorsata), noting that Nagaland is estimated to have around 30,000 such colonies in the wild, of which only a small proportion is currently harvested using traditional methods.
According to Rio, the mission promotes sustainable harvesting, habitat protection and improved quality and marketability of honey to enhance income opportunities, while also encouraging scientific beekeeping practices.
The mission also supports value-added products such as beeswax-based balms, food wraps and candles, aimed at expanding income avenues beyond raw honey production.
The Chief Minister said the initiative reflects the state’s effort to combine traditional knowledge with scientific approaches to build sustainable livelihoods while conserving biodiversity.
