Haryana Beekeeping Insurance Scheme: Up to Rs 6.25 Lakh Cover at Rs 50 Premium

Haryana has brought beekeeping under the Mukhyamantri Bagwani Bima Yojana, the Chief Minister’s Horticulture Insurance Scheme, giving beekeepers financial protection against losses that can wipe out their colonies and boxes. Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana announced the decision, saying it would give farmers and entrepreneurs in beekeeping real security against risks they cannot control. The cover extends to losses caused by bee boxes and colonies being submerged during floods, destroyed in fires, and damaged in transportation accidents, as well as losses from epidemics affecting honeybees. For transport accidents, the cover applies only when the accident happens within Haryana and an official first information report or daily diary report has been registered. The terms are deliberately kept affordable. A beekeeper pays a premium of Rs 50 per colony and Rs 50 per box, and in return gets insurance cover of Rs 1,250 per colony and Rs 1,250 per box. A beekeeper can insure up to 250 colonies and 250 boxes, taking the maximum combined cover to Rs 6.25 lakh — Rs 3,12,500 for colonies and Rs 3,12,500 for boxes. To claim the benefit, beekeepers must be registered under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana-Honey scheme and provide the scheme’s unit number for each box. Honey itself is already included in the state’s Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana, which guarantees a protected price of Rs 120 per kg to shield beekeepers from market swings. Haryana is among the country’s top seven honey-producing states and was the first state to adopt a dedicated Beekeeping Policy, covering 2021 to 2030, to promote apiculture and raise honey production. Officials say the insurance cover, together with the protected price, will reduce the financial burden on beekeepers and encourage more farmers to take up beekeeping as a reliable source of income.