**Bee Keeping as a Service to All in Dakshina Kannada**
Gramajanya Farmers’ Producer Company (FPC) Ltd., Puttur has taken a major step towards increasing honey production in Dakshina Kannada by extending its bee keeping as a service to non-members across the district. The move is aimed at ensuring that every farmer in the district owns bee boxes and increases honey production. To achieve this, the FPC has started offering bee keeping as a service to non-members who have approached the company seeking assistance with maintaining their bee boxes. Some farmers have kept bee boxes but have not maintained them due to various reasons. In such cases, the FPC has extended its services to ensure that the bee boxes are maintained and honey production is increased. The CEO of the FPC, P. Rajesh Suvarna, explained the decision to offer bee keeping as a service to non-members. “We have started offering A to Z services to non-members,” he said. **Cost of Bee Keeping Service**
The FPC charges a fee of ₹500 per visit for maintaining a minimum of five bee boxes. This fee is reasonable considering that maintaining bee boxes requires regular maintenance and upkeep. **Honey Processing Unit**
The director (Operations) of the FPC, Ramapratheek Kariyal, stated that a honey and bee wax processing unit is set to be inaugurated at Puttur. The unit, which has been installed with modern machinery, has the capacity to process 15 tonnes of honey a day. The processing unit is equipped with an in-house testing laboratory and a cold storage facility, ensuring that the quality of the honey is maintained. The unit was set up at a cost of about ₹4.5 crore and occupies a land area of just 25 cents. The National Bee Board (NBB) has extended financial assistance of ₹2.22 crore to the unit under the Mini Mission II of the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission. The FPC is also involved in contract farming of apiculture and manufacturing of value-added products of honey and bee wax. **Harvesting and Yield**
The CEO, Mr. Suvarna, stated that even though some beekeepers have reported low honey production during this harvesting season (February to May), the FPC has not experienced a decline in honey production. He explained that up to 10 kg of honey can be harvested from a bee box per season, and up to 10 harvests can be done per box in a season. This indicates that the FPC is capable of producing a significant amount of honey with its beekeeping services.

In conclusion, Gramajanya Farmers’ Producer Company (FPC) Ltd., Puttur has taken a significant step towards increasing honey production in Dakshina Kannada by offering bee keeping services to non-members across the district. This move is expected to lead to an increase in honey production and benefit the local farmers.