The time is now in the middle of Falgun. The vast crop fields of Shariatpur are now occupied by the light blue flowers of black cumin. On the occasion of this flower, rows of maubaks have been placed next to the lands. Bees are collecting honey from the cells between the flower petals, and beekeepers are busy tending the hives and extracting honey.
On the one hand, beekeepers are getting good prices for black cumin honey due to its medicinal properties, on the other hand, the yield is almost doubled due to the planting of honey box next to the land. Local farmers and beekeepers from different districts are happy with this.
According to Shariatpur District Agriculture Directorate, there are 30 mow farms in the district. Each farm has 50 to 200 maubucks. However, beekeepers from other districts have a total of 9,580 bee boxes. There is a target of 15,000 kg black cumin honey extraction in the district this season. The amount of honey extracted last season was 11 thousand 370 kg.
It is known that black cumin honey extraction is going on in at least 12 places of Mulna Union of Jazira Upazila of Shariatpur. Also in Senerchar, Bara Gopalpur, Palerchar, Jayanagar, Bilashpur, Chakadh area of Naria there are black cumin plantations and roaming of mouals. Farmers from different places like Sylhet, Sherpur, Dinajpur, Satkhira, Magura, Natore have come and settled in these places to collect honey.
It can be seen on the ground in some of Jazeera’s mau farms, several mau boxes are kept near the black cumin field. The distance from one mowbox to another mowbox is about one and a half cubits. The worker bees extract the honey and enter through the openings of the hives to store it. Accumulating and going out again to collect honey, they continue their honey gathering activities non-stop. Beekeepers are also looking after the hives.
The owner of Nipa Mau Farm has come to collect black cumin honey from Jajira area from Nayakhol Purvgram area of Charikata Union of Jaintapur police station of Sylhet district. Shahabuddin (44). He has been collecting honey in different districts for the past 31 years. However, for 5 years, when black cumin season came, he built a base in different places of Shariatpur. This beekeeper is happy that the price of black cumin honey is better than other honey.
He said, I travel to different districts to collect honey. I moved to Shariatpur during black cumin season. Black cumin has been cultivated in many fields this year, so honey is also getting well. I have placed 150 boxes. 3 workers are working to look after these. I am getting 20 kg of honey per day in my farm. Black cumin honey is in high demand. We are selling this honey at the rate of Tk 600 per kg. We benefit a lot from this.
Maruf Ahmed, a honey collector from Sherpur said, “One day after another we opened the boxes in the morning and took out the honey. Each box contains a minimum of one bee to a maximum of 4 kg of honey. Later this honey is taken out through the machine and filled in the container for marketing. Black cumin honey is in high demand, hence the price is also quite good.
Meanwhile, due to bee pollination, the yield is almost twice as much as before. As a result, farmers are enthusiastic about black cumin cultivation. So he allowed the farmers to sit next to the land.
Local farmer Faisal Bepari said, when beekeepers used to come, I did not allow them to sit on the land. We actually did not understand that the yield is better if we put mau box next to the land. We used to think that bees destroy crops. But now we understand, so let bee farmers collect honey here. The yield of the land is getting better by planting maubox next to the land.
In this regard, the Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension Dr. Rabi’ah Noor Ahmed said, the farmers suffered a little in the beginning due to the rains after planting black cumin. Currently, due to the full season of black cumin, mauals are coming from different parts of the country to collect honey and sell it.
He also said that black cumin honey works to relieve various diseases in the body, also it has a very important role in Ayurveda. We have spoken to all the Mouals who have come here. All facilities will be provided to them so that they can come more in future. In the future, the agriculture department will work more to increase the cultivation of black cumin in the district.
FA/ASM
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