A 2022–2023 study found 15 pesticides in honey samples from migratory apiaries in Kashmir, with organophosphates prominent and elevated residues found near intensive apple orchards. Pollen testing positive for dozens of pesticides (mostly fungicides and herbicides) is consistent with the broader literature on pesticide burden in honey bees.

 

‘Transport eats our profits’: Beekeepers demand subsidy and buffer zones

 

Hari Prasad, a progressive beekeeper managing around 1,400 colonies across Sud Mahadev (Udhampur), Kishtwar, Bhaderwah, and Punjab, periodically migrates hives to Jammu, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana in search of better forage. He says transport costs are prohibitively high and “eat into most of his earnings,” and he is urging the J&K government to introduce a transport subsidy for migratory beekeepers.

 

Wholesale honey prices have fallen sharply, which he attributes in part to disrupted exports to Gulf countries amid the ongoing war, while adulteration by a few large brands—allegedly using a surfactant chemical imported from China—has further depressed realizations for pure, locally produced honey. He is calling on FSSAI and state food safety authorities to crack down on such practices. However, in a fact check by the author, it was found that instead of surfactants, companies were using highly sophisticated foreign sugar syrups (primarily specialized fructose and rice syrups imported from China or manufactured locally). These syrups are intentionally engineered to bypass standard C3 and C4 sugar tests.

 

Hari Prasad further says that although mustard honey accounts for the bulk of production and exports, varieties such as Sulai, acacia, multiflora, and jamun are produced in smaller quantities but command higher prices. Prasad argues that rural beekeepers need dedicated marketing support to compete with big companies. He is also demanding that the government establish agrochemical-free buffer zones around flowering crops and vegetable belts to protect pollinators and sustain beekeeping livelihoods.

 

Pollination worth ?12,656 crore at risk as colonies die in transit

 

Bees are the main pollinators for apple, cherry, almond, and many vegetable crops in Kashmir, and economic valuations place the annual value of pollination services for the valley’s apple orchards at roughly ?12,656 crore, with managed pollination raising yields by about 19% and improving fruit quality.

 

Beekeepers say the problem is compounded during the annual winter migration of hives from J&K to warmer plains. Many colonies die in transit or soon after because of abrupt weather changes, long journeys, and exposure to pesticide residues in wax and nectar. Apiculture officials and entomologists in Kashmir have stated that around 30–40% of migratory colonies can die during this shift, while recent reporting from the valley documents beekeepers describing up to 90% drops in honey production in bad seasons, linked to erratic rain, cold spells during bloom, and heat shortening flower life. In response, some beekeepers and officials are now experimenting with “warm womb” wintering protocols and other climate-resilient methods to keep colonies in Kashmir and reduce mortality.

 

Output collapse: Crore-rupee losses in Valley and hills

 

The Kashmir Valley has over 2,100 registered beekeepers and annual honey production of more than 1,200 metric tonnes, with strong price premiums for local acacia and Sulai honey. In bad years, many beekeepers report 70–90% drops in output, implying losses running into several crore rupees for the valley alone. In districts like Ramban, Udhampur, and Kishtwar, where beekeeping is a key source of supplementary income for thousands of rural families, a 50–80% fall in honey output translates into losses of thousands of rupees per household, with some small operators barely breaking even after migration and input costs. At the same time, the wider apple economy, which depends heavily on bee pollination and has an annual turnover often cited in the ?8,000–10,000 crore range, faces pollination-related losses running into several hundred crore rupees in bad years, as reflected in weather-linked loss estimates of ?300–400 crore for specific seasons.

 

Official data show colonies rising from 1.23 lakh (2019) to 2.27 lakh (2024–25), honey production up 77% to 3,895 MT, and over 2,000 entities/beekeepers registered on the Madhu Kranti Portal. Yet beekeepers stress these gains are fragile and easily wiped out in a single bad season.

 

GI-tagged Sulai and premium mountain honeys hold value

 

Despite these stresses, honey from the region remains in high demand because of its perceived purity and distinct mountain flora.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelRamban’s Sulai honey, produced from the wild Sulai (Plectranthus rugosus) blossom in the Banihal and surrounding high-altitude areas, was granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2023 and is described as amber to dark with a strong herbal-floral flavour and high antioxidant value. Acacia honey from Banihal and parts of the Valley is light and delicate, while multiflora or wild-flora honeys from Udhampur, Poonch, and the Jammu foothills are bolder and more complex. Before wider publicity, Sulai honey was selling at around ?800–1,200 per kg; after the GI tag and national attention, prices have been reported to climb toward ?2,000 per kg, nearly double that of many plain-land varieties.

 

FPC leaders: ‘Designate chemical-free flowering zones; push PMFME’

 

Akhtar Wani of Baramulla, Managing Director of Meraksahib FPC Ltd Wagura, has emerged as a key figure in promoting honey beekeeping across the region, extending technical support to establish two additional farmer producer companies: Zarka Honey FPC Ltd in Kupwara and Warmul Honey Farmers Federation Ltd in Baramulla. According to him, members of Meraksahib FPC collectively maintain around 1,000 bee colonies, while Zarka Honey FPC manages approximately 2,000 boxes, and farmers under Warmul Honey Farmers Federation operate nearly 4,000 boxes.

 

During winter, beekeepers migrate their colonies to Jammu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, yet they continue to face the persistent threat of exposure to high levels of chemical pesticides and fungicides, not only in the Kashmir valley but also in other migratory zones. High transport costs eat up the major portion of beekeepers’ profits, and Akhtar, too, is demanding a government transport subsidy. He has also stressed the urgent need for the J&K government to designate agrochemical-free flowering zones to safeguard pollinators, alongside generating greater awareness among beekeepers about the PMFME scheme to encourage the setup of small honey processing units.

 

Erratic climatic shifts and untimely hailstorms have inflicted heavy losses on Baramulla’s beekeeping community, compounding their marketing challenges. While retail prices of honey range between ?600 and ?1,500 per kg, wholesale rates often plummet to as low as ?200 per kg, prompting calls for a minimum support price (MSP) intervention to ensure fair returns for beekeepers. Apart from this, the Food Safety Department should launch a massive crackdown on the few big companies selling adulterated honey in the markets.

 

‘7–12 sprays a season’: Orchard surveys flag residue risks

 

Surveys in Kashmir orchards show that most farmers carry out 7–12 sprays a season, including some during bloom, and many themselves believe this has reduced pollinator diversity and destroyed pollinator habitats. Pollen collected by bees in the Valley has tested positive for residues of dozens of pesticides, mostly fungicides and herbicides, raising food-safety concerns as well.

 

There is an urgent need for tighter regulation of high-risk chemicals, buffer zones around bee forage and dragonfly breeding sites, and a shift toward integrated pest management and natural farming to cut spray frequency and toxicity. It is also recommended to protect hedgerows, wildflower patches, and wetland margins, and support migratory beekeepers with better transit protocols and a government-announced transport subsidy. Scientists should intervene to train honey beekeepers in disease management, maintenance of hygiene, and residue testing to safeguard colonies across seasons.

 

‘From 350 colonies to 100’: Batote beekeeper warns of collapse without MSP

 

Rahul Rathore, a honeybee keeper from Batote with seven years of experience in the sector, says his once-thriving operation has been pushed to the brink by a combination of environmental stressors and policy gaps. He began with around 350 bee colonies that yielded strong honey production, but annual winter migration to Rajasthan exposed the hives to intensive chemical pesticide spraying in agricultural fields, which he blames for a sharp rise in bee mortality. Over the past two years, erratic temperature shifts and outbreaks of beetle disease have further decimated his stock, shrinking his colonies to about 100 and causing a steep drop in honey output. Rathore warns that without a government-backed minimum support price (MSP) for honey, many beekeepers like him face an uncertain future, as MSP, he argues, is essential to ensure their economic survival.

 

Alfla FPO, Banihal: ‘MSP now, or livelihoods will vanish’

 

Beekeepers under the Alfla Farmers Producers Company (FPO) in Banihal are demanding a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for honey, as excessive agrochemical spraying, disease, and erratic weather drive down colony strength and output. CEO Mushtaq Ahmad says the FPO, with about 160 members and 1,700 colonies, initially saw its colonies drop to 1,000 after its 2018 launch, while annual production of around 60 metric tonnes once fetched ?800–1,600 depending on quality. Colonies migrating from Ramban to Srinagar, Jammu, Rajasthan, and Punjab face high mortality from pesticide exposure, beetle infestations, and unstable weather, prompting calls for MSP and tighter regulation of sprays during flowering to protect livelihoods and pollination.

 

Authoir Anuj Kumar Verma is an

Environmental Advocate and Policy Writer