Date:23/07/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/07/23/stories/2005072301671900.htm

Back Rural youth in Vizag to be trained in apiculture

Our Bureau

Visakhapatnam , July 22

THE Visakhapatnam divisional office of the Commissioner for Khadi and Village Industries is undertaking 15-day training courses in bee-keeping and honey extraction for rural youth and women in the villages and also at the extension centre at Vijayarai in West Godavari district.

In a press release issued here on Friday, Mr K. Krishnaswamy, Divisional Director, said the trained youth and women would be encouraged to form self-help groups or co-operatives to obtain finance from banks for self-employment. He said the KVIC had trained 862 youths in Guntur district and they formed a co-operative for bee-keeping and honey extraction. He said the European bee (Apis mellifera) had been introduced in the State, as it was more disease-resistant. He said the KVIC was making efforts to make the trained youth and women quality-conscious and to obtain the Agmark certification for them. Honey extraction units could be set up at a cost of Rs 25 lakh by interested entrepreneurs. Thirty per cent of it would be subsidised by the KVIC. The rest would be loaned.