Similipal's honey to enter FMCG space soon

The 'Khairi' brand organic honey sourced from the sanctuary area of the Similipal national Park in Mayurbhanj district will soon get a sapce among the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).
Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) Managing Director Ajay Kumar Mohapatra said this while inaugurating a workshop-cum-orientation programme on honeybee farming project here today.
The product would be launched all over Odisha and also in other states, Mohapatra said adding a honey production unit was already in operation at Jashipur which produced 10 tonnes of honey last year. The production capacity would be doubled this year.
The honey produced from Similipal National Park was named after a domesticated tigress, 'Khairi'.

"The corporation had set a target of 250 tonnes honey production by utilising service of the local honeybee farmers," he said.
Citing the steps taken to augment the production capacity, Mohapatra mentioned that 120 families in Mayurbhanj district were already identified. They would be supplied with honeybee boxes and other accessories for the purpose, he said.

Under this scheme 40 families were already aided with 5 boxes per family in the first phase while another 40 families would be added to the scheme soon. The corporation had made a tie up with a leading honey producing cooperative society of West Bengal to impart expert skill and technique to the honeybee farmers in Mayurbhanj while a field study was organised for the farmers to visit production unit of the society, Mohapatra said.

Besides these initiative the corporation has already launched a ready to serve honey and lemon drinks fortified with ginger at Jashipur on a trial basis with a production capacity of 30,000 bottles on yearly basis, he said.
Prakash Soren, chairperson zilla parishad Mayurbhanj district, Ramesh Chandra Sethi, GM OFDC, Purna chandra Sha, DM OFDC also deliberated in the workshop attended by hundreds of honeybee farmers of the district.