Union Minister calls for bringing 'honey extraction' rights under the FRA

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda on Thursday stressed the need to bring beekeeping and the extraction of natural honey under the ambit of Community Forest Rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. "Beekeeping has been recognised by the government as one of the important activities for promotion and development to achieve 'Sweet Revolution' for enhancing the income of bee farmers and honey gatherers," Munda said at the National Conclave on 'Wild and Forest Honey' here.

The FRA protects the rights of forest-dwelling tribal groups and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, which these communities rely on for a range of purposes, including subsistence, housing, and other socio-cultural requirements.

The challenge is to maintain the quality of honey and avoid adulteration, the minister said, and directed the authorities to prepare and maintain a database of those who naturally extract honey and areas which specialise in honey gathering and extraction.

''We should geo-tag the areas which specialise in wild and forest honey production,'' he said.