The Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM), Pune, under the Ministry of Cooperation, has launched two impactful training initiatives to promote apiculture-based entrepreneurship and agribusiness through cooperative models and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).
In a first-of-its-kind programme, VAMNICOM is conducting a two-month training course titled “Innovations and Agribusiness Management” for 40 retiring officers of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. This initiative, in collaboration with the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), Ministry of Defence, aims to prepare defence personnel for entrepreneurial careers in the agribusiness sector.
As part of the course, the participants visited KVK Baramati for a hands-on session on bee-keeping and commercial honey production. The training, coordinated by Dr. Dhananjay S. Gaikwad, exposed them to the fundamentals of apiculture, from scientific techniques to enterprise development and market integration.
Parallelly, VAMNICOM organized a capacity-building session for emerging honey entrepreneurs and members of FPOs and Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), supported by MANAGE, Hyderabad. Dr. Deepak J. Waghmode led this session, providing insights into new business avenues in apiculture, cooperative success stories, and the government’s evolving support ecosystem.
Discussions covered technical know-how, value chain development, cooperative marketing strategies, and institutional schemes under the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
These dual programs reflect a significant step in creating a cooperative-driven honey enterprise ecosystem that supports both ex-servicemen and rural entrepreneurs. VAMNICOM’s approach merges scientific bee-keeping with cooperative development and aligns with India’s “Sweet Revolution” and its goal of doubling farmers’ incomes.
The broader vision includes establishing Honey-FPOs and honey-focused PACS clusters at the district level, setting up cooperative incubators for honey startups, and promoting branded, export-quality honey through cooperative marketing federations.
By bridging defence resettlement with rural enterprise and fostering collaboration among ministries and institutions, VAMNICOM is laying the groundwork for a sustainable, scalable, and inclusive future for Indian apiculture.
