Sarita Bhattarai Shrestha got into bee farming 10 years ago. Over the years, she has become a successful entrepreneur. This week, I visited her farm to find out what it takes to become a bee farmer. Mountain Bee Concern Pvt Ltd is based in Dhapakhel, Lalitpur. The place serves as an apiary, honey processing and packaging factory, and a training center. Besides overseeing the farm and factory works, Shrestha also conducts beekeeping training here.  

A training session was underway on the day I reached the place. A small group of people wearing net hats were standing among rows of brood boxes, while a trainer explained to them how to spot the queen bee.  Shrestha has a small team of trainers who run theory and practical classes three times a day.     The training program aims to encourage youth entrepreneurship, says Shrestha. “Nepali youths are spending hundreds of thousands of rupees to go abroad when they can earn so much here,” she says.     Mountain Bee Concern currently has over 1,800 brood boxes where honey bees are reared for honey. These boxes are moved to Chitwan during dry season when there aren’t many flowers around for bees to feed on.  Shrestha’s annual turnover just from honey sales is over Rs 10m and she employs around 40 people. “All it takes is small investment and the willingness to put in some effort to become a successful bee farmer,” says Shrestha. “I tell this to all my trainees.”