A large number of commercial honey collectors from different areas of the country are passing their busy time in collecting honey from the blooming mustard flowers in the district.
The honey collectors in all the seven upazilas of the district are rushing from one yellow mustard field to another with their bee boxes everyday.
Abdul Khalek, 58, who has come from Sirajganj district with his young son, said they have a target of collecting at least 20 mounds of honey in the current winter season. He said collecting honey is their seasonal profession and they have been doing the job in Manikganj district in the last 10 years.
All of the honey collectors from different districts, including Jamalpur, Gazipur, Pabna, Satkhira, Narayanganj, Kushtia and Sirajganj, have already started collecting honey from the mustard fields.
Rashed Ali, another honey collector hailing from Kushtia, said after collecting honey they sell it in different parts of Dhaka at the rate of Taka 8,000 to Taka 10,000 per mound.
Sheikh Fazal, one of the mustard cultivators, said, “We welcome the honey collectors as it helps to increase our agriculture production and we get some honey from the collectors as a gift.” Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said bees help pollination while collecting honey as they fly from one flower to another which can help increase about 15 percent production.
The persons concerned expected that about 3.5 tonnes of honey may be collected from Manikganj district in the current season.
They said the collection of honey started in last week of November and will continue up to the second week of January.
A total of Taka 70 lakh may be earned from the seven upazilas of the district this year through collecting honey.
Abu Mohammad Enayet Ullah, Deputy Director of the DAE, said the farming of mustard started in due time as there was no water stagnancy anywhere in the district during the current season and the mustard plants grew properly.
Collecting honey from the mustard field is a good approach, as the bees help pollination to increase production of mustard, the Deputy Director added.
