Economic Performance and Constraints of Beekeeping (Apis mellifera l.) in Chitwan District, Nepal

Abstract

Beekeeping has become an important component of Nepalese agriculture, contributing to household livelihood, employment generation, and enhancing agricultural productivity through pollination services. This study aims to assess the contribution of beekeeping sector to household income, evaluate its profitability, and identify the major production and marketing constraints faced by beekeepers in Chitwan district. A total of 60 commercial beekeepers were randomly selected from three municipalities, namely Kalika, Khairahani and Ratnanagar. Profitability was assessed using the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) and problems was ranked using the index ranking technique. The result revealed that beekeeping is the dominant livelihood enterprise, contributing 78% of total household income. The majority of beekeepers had more than a decade of beekeeping experience, managed 50-100 beehive colonies, and harvested honey at least three times per year. The average productivity of honey was found to be 28.2 kg/hive/year with a gross return of NPR 12644 per hive and a benefit cost ratio of 2.17. Among the costs, variable costs accounted for 66.72%, while fixed costs comprised 33.28%. Although honey was the major product, beekeepers also extracted beeswax, averaging 1.24 kg/hive/year. Disease and pest infestations emerged as the most severe production constraints, followed by pesticide exposure and forage shortages. Similarly, insufficient certification and laboratory testing, untrustworthy traders, and competition with imported honey were identified as major marketing challenges. Overall, beekeeping enterprises seem to be economically viable and can play significant role in improving the livelihood of beekeeping households in Nepal The performance can be further improved through the better management of forage and addressing the production and marketing challenges.