What NBHM funds
The National Beekeeping & Honey Mission, launched 2020-21, targets a 5-year scaling of India's honey value chain — from 1.34 lakh tonnes (2019-20) to a target of 2.5+ lakh tonnes by 2026 — with the Madhukranti digital traceability platform underpinning quality and exports.
Eligible activities
- Integrated Beekeeping Development Centres (IBDCs).
- Honey testing laboratories (NABL-accredited).
- Disease diagnostic centres for bee colonies.
- Custom hiring centres for migration units.
- Api-therapy units (bee venom, propolis).
- Project-based capital subsidy for processing equipment, packaging, branding.
Progress (March 2025)
- 26 honey processing units operational.
- 12 equipment manufacturing units.
- 18 collection-branding-marketing centres.
- 14,859 beekeepers + 269 societies + 150 firms + 206 companies registered on Madhukranti.
How to register — step by step
- Visit madhukranti.in and create beekeeper profile using Aadhaar OTP and mobile number.
- Submit GPS-tagged colony location, number of colonies, bee species (Apis mellifera, Apis cerana), bank account details.
- For project subsidies (processing units, packaging, branding, IBDCs, testing labs), prepare a DPR and route through the National Bee Board / State Bee Board.
- For migration tracking, register migration routes on Madhukranti — required for honey traceability and export compliance.
- For pollination-service income, list services on the platform; orchards under MIDH can engage NBHM- registered beekeepers as paid pollinators.
- For value-added products (api-therapy, bee venom, propolis), specialised processing-unit subsidy is DPR-mode.
Latest changes (2024 — 2026)
- February 2024: Madhukranti traceability platform upgraded — full QR-code traceability from beekeeper colony to honey jar mandated for export consignments.
- August 2024: 26 honey processing units, 12 equipment manufacturing units and 18 collection-branding-marketing centres operational.
- March 2025: 14,859 beekeepers + 269 societies + 150 firms + 206 companies registered on Madhukranti; honey-purity standards aligned with FSSAI updates.
- July 2025: AIF convergence — honey- processing units up to ₹2 crore qualify for 3 % interest subvention; CGTMSE guarantee enabled.
- 2025-26: Scheme extended; honey production target of 2.5+ lakh tonnes by 2026 reaffirmed with FPO-led pollination cluster expansion.
Common rejection or problem reasons
- Colony GPS tag missing: subsidy and traceability fail without geo-tagged colony registration.
- Honey adulteration flag: NABL- tested samples failing purity (high-fructose corn syrup, sugar syrup) lose Madhukranti certification.
- DPR cost above benchmark: NBHM cost matrix caps unit prices; exceeding the cap is trimmed.
- Aadhaar — bank seeding failure: DBT and project-subsidy credit fail on NPCI side.
- Honey not labelled per FSSAI: mis-labelled product disqualified from subsidy.
- Migration route not declared: bees taken to non-declared pollination locations break traceability.
Grievance: National Bee Board (NBB) helpdesk → DAC&FW NBHM Directorate. madhukranti.in hosts a public grievance pipeline.
Coverage and outlay statistics
Per MoA&FW data, NBHM has a ₹500 crore outlay across the mission cycle. India's honey production was 1.34 lakh tonnes (2019-20) and is targeted at 2.5+ lakh tonnes by 2026; honey exports stood at roughly 60,000 — 80,000 tonnes/year in recent years, with the US, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh as major destinations. State-wise leaders: Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Live progress is on the Madhukranti dashboard.
How NBHM stacks with other schemes
NBHM is the beekeeping-specific value-chain layer. MIDH finances beekeeping equipment (boxes, colonies) under horticulture cross-pollination; KCC short-term credit at MISS rate finances inputs. AIF provides 3 % interest subvention on honey processing and cold- chain infrastructure; PMFME adds 35 % capital subsidy for micro-processing of honey-based products. 10,000 FPOs scheme covers beekeeper-producer organisations. Krishi Sakhi extension complements NBHM with field-level apiary training.
Related
- MIDH (parallel beekeeping component for pollination services).