The season of collecting honey from the Sundarbans began from Saturday.
Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans West Department (DFO) formally inaugurated the honey season, at 12:00 pm through collecting honey in Satkhira range area of the west Sundarbans, reports BSS.
The West Department of the forest has distributed permission letters among the Moual after the successful completion of honey collection training on the premises of Government Primary School, adjacent to the Buri Goalini Forest Office.
Later, the Moual will go to the deep forest to collect honey, the sources said.
Talking to BSS, the DFO Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain, said 60 Mouals have received permission letters today to enter into the Sundarbans. The remaining Moual will gradually enter into the forest till June.
Besides, security measures have already been enhanced to ensure safe honey collection in the Sundarbans. He advised that the Moual should loiter carefully to protect themselves from the attack of wild animals like tigers, the DFO added.
A target has been set to collect 3,000 quintals or three lakh kilograms of honey and 800 quintals of wax from the Sundarbans this year, he said.
Of the total honey, at least 1,050 quintals of honey and 200 quintals of wax have found in the Satkhira range of the Sundarbans.
According to the Forest Department, 1,012 permits were issued for the collection of honey and wax in 2021. Against the permits, 6,797 honey collectors went to the Sundarbans and collected 3,376.90 tonnes of honey and
113.09 tonnes of wax.
The Forest Department earned Taka 25, 64,363 as revenue from honey and Taka 10, 25,850 from wax.
In 2022, the revenue from honey was Taka 36, 93,600, and from wax, it was Taka 15, 31,200. That year, 2,320 quintals of honey and 696 quintals of wax were found in the Sundarbans.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
