ISLAMABAD, May 20 (APP): World Bee Day was celebrated on Saturday across the world including Pakistan under the theme “Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production”.
The world Bee Day 2023 called for global action to support pollinator-friendly agricultural production and highlights the importance of protecting bees and other pollinators, particularly through evidence-based agricultural production practices.
On the occasion of World Bee Day, various programs and events were organized by government, semi-government and private organizations in small and big cities and towns across the country.
Each year, around the globe ‘World Bee Day’ is celebrated on 20th of May with a sole motive to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators for the ecosystem. It all started in 2009 by a small group of beekeepers who petitioned for and obtained a formal proclamation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) honoring honey bees and beekeeping.
In 2010, a non-profit, Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc. was organized to facilitate and promote the observance better. The original observation date was August 22, 2009 (the fourth Saturday of August), but later on it settled permanently on the third Saturday of August.
The UN Member States approved Slovenia’s proposal to proclaim 20 May as World Bee Day in December 2017. The date was chosen as it was the day Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern apiculture, was born. Janša came from a family of beekeepers in Slovenia, where beekeeping is an important agricultural activity with a long-standing tradition.
The day every year is celebrated with a particular theme highlighting the importance of these creatures in our lives and in our environment. The theme for the year 2023 World Bee Day is ‘Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production’ as decided by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN).
The theme thus calls for global action to support pollinator-friendly agricultural production and the importance of protecting bees and other pollinators, particularly through evidence-based agricultural production practices.
Beekeeping is a sustainable activity since it provides nutritional, economic and ecological balance, while providing employment and income. Pakistan has good potential for beekeeping and to become a major honey exporting nation.
The distinctive feature of beekeeping is the small capital investment required as compared to other industries and the income obtained from its by-products also. It has the capacity to offer direct employment to hundreds of thousands of people, especially hill dwellers, tribal and unemployed youth and farmers. The sustainability of this industry is of prime importance for the development and economic well being of the country.
Allah Almighty has placed the cure for every disease in honey.
According to the United Nations, butterflies, bats and hummingbirds along with bees are in danger of disappearing from the face of the earth today due to the carelessness of humanity and violation of the principles of nature.
According to the United Nations, the purpose of celebrating Bee Day is to celebrate the survival of bees, butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, which are essential to our survival.
