KOHAT: An apiculture expert has urged the government to take measures for boosting the production of export quality honey extracted from Beri and Acacia trees and also generate employment and save valuable foreign exchange spent on the product’s import.

Talking to Dawn here on Friday, Dr Ishtiaq Anjum said for promotion of honey business the government should encourage plantation of Beri and Acacia trees and place healthy imported queens in the beehives.

He proposed that seed sowing of Acacia should be carried out through helicopters in the hilly areas.

He was of the view that Beri and Acacia tree plantations could also help check adulteration in the Billion Tree Honey scheme announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said the Kohat University of Science and Technology had the required experience of beekeepers’ training in scientific ways.

Dr Ishtiaq Anjum called for ban on cutting of existing bee flora across the country and strict punishments for the violators.

He also demanded ban on use of pesticides that killed honeybee.

Dr Anjum said beehive product processing units and testing labs of international standards should be established. He said international conferences should be held to introduce scientific beekeeping techniques and research-oriented approaches to the beekeeping communities.

He also called for establishing api-therapy centres to evaluate beehive products, including honey, royal jelly, bee wax, bee pollen, bee bread and bee venom for therapeutic purposes.

FOUR DRUG TRAFFICKERS HELD: The police on Friday arrested four inter-provincial drug traffickers and recovered contraband from them during checking of vehicles.

The police arrested two persons travelling in a car on Gur Guro Kandao checkpost bordering the Mianwali district of Punjab and recovered five kilogrammes of hashish and half a kilogramme of opium from them. The smugglers were named Nadir Khan of Paya Jawaki and driver Ahmed Sharif of Kohat.

Meanwhile, two passengers were offloaded from public transport vehicles on the Muslimabad checkpost on the Indus Highway, and four kilogrammes of hashish was seized from them. They were named Kramat of Khyber and Altaf Khan of Peshawar.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2021