Mellim, Oct 20: The Meghalaya government is considering setting up a Bee Museum and Interpretation Centre to showcase the state’s honey and promote local apiculture, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the inauguration of an Apiculture Multi-Facility Centre-cum-Processing Unit at Mellim in Rerapara Block, South West Garo Hills, Sangma said the proposed facility could combine educational displays on honey production with direct retail of premium honey.
“Honey from Meghalaya has been termed as the best in the world and there is potential if it is produced and marketed properly,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the proposed museum would provide a platform “where organic and best honey can be sold and digital interpretation of honey production can be shown.”
The inauguration was attended by MLAs Mehtab Chandee Sangma, Sanjay Sangma and Subir Marak, along with local beekeepers, self-help groups, and officials from the Horticulture Department and district administration.
Focus on livelihoods and market access
Sangma said the initiatives in Rerapara bring together three key areas of development: rural livelihoods, connectivity and access to government services.
He said the new apiculture centre would support scientific honey production, technical training, value addition and market access, helping beekeeping become a more organised source of income for rural communities.
He also highlighted the importance of improved connectivity in helping residents and local producers reach markets, educational institutions, healthcare facilities and other essential services.
The Chief Minister stressed that the success of apiculture depends on more than distributing bee boxes. He called for greater attention to colony management, quality control, processing, packaging, branding and organised market access.
“Meghalaya’s organic honey, if supported with scientific beekeeping, processing and branding, can become a major rural enterprise and take Meghalaya to the world,” he said.
*Apiculture Mission covers 6,491 beekeepers*
The ₹1.52 crore multi-facility centre will support raw-honey collection, processing, bottling, testing, marketing and bee-box manufacturing.
Under Apiculture Mission 2.0, the state is working across all 12 districts through 87 clusters, covering 6,491 beekeepers.
The programme has provided 32,455 bee boxes and 6,491 equipment sets, with each beekeeper receiving five bee boxes and one equipment set.
Sangma also highlighted that 39 clusters covered under Phase III produced 157.69 metric tonnes of honey during 2024–25.
Meghalaya has additionally established an Integrated Bee Development Centre at Sambrak in North Garo Hills, equipped with facilities for training, testing, processing, hive manufacturing, storage, retail and information services.
The proposed Bee Museum and Interpretation Centre is expected to further support efforts to promote Meghalaya’s honey, expand market opportunities and strengthen apiculture-based rural livelihoods.
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