The first beekeeping equipment manufacturing unit in the public sector in the country was opened at Kalavamkodam, near Cherthala, on Friday.
The facility under the Kerala State Horticultural Products Development Corporation (Horticorp) was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister P. Prasad.
Speaking at the function, Mr. Prasad said that an outlet of the Horticorp would be opened at Cherthala for marketing honey and value-added products from honey. The equipment manufacturing plant would provide high-quality apparatus to bee farmers at reasonable rates. The manufacturing unit was set up at a cost of ₹25 lakh, including a grant of ₹19 lakh from the Union government and the own fund of Horticorp.
Horticorp chairman S. Venugopal presided.