Situationer Helping bees to help us.

Byline: Jamal Shahid

'IT is so amazing what bees do,' said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam at the launch of the 'Billion Tree Honey' programme in Islamabad recently. 'Bees have evolved to become the most efficient insects to pollinate plants and, in this task, they reign supreme,' the PM's aide went on to say.

It all started in December last year when Mr Aslam's ministry along with representatives of the MinisAtry of Science and TechAnology and Pir Mehr Ali Shah UniverAsity of Arid Agriculture, RawalApindi, pitched the idea of planting bee flora to Prime Minister Imran Khan. Realising the potential of bee farming and its significance, the prime minister gave his consent and a month later, a ceremony was held to officially launch the initiative under the 'Prime Minister's Ten Billion Tree Tsunami' programme.

'The objective is to promote green economy through agriculture in Pakistan,' Mr Aslam said at the launching ceremony, which was a collaborative inter-ministerial effort.

Bee population has been dwindling over the past decade due to a variety of reasons, ranging from bacterial diseases to pesticides. But today it is climate change that has become the main factor behind the declining bee population. Climate change has affected the rains, flowers and even the time bees pollinate, reducing their sources of pollen and thus leading to their disappearance.

'This initiative could not have come at a better time,' said the PM's aide.

Under the programme, more bee flora will be planted to ensure not just the survivability of plants and trees but also to see that the supply of pollen and nectar lasts as long as possible. 'And, since honeybees play a crucial role in food security as they pollinate a third of the food that we eat, we need a thriving beekeeping industry for our food security,' he said.

According to experts in the Ministry of Climate Change, this will not only ensure that the only two honeybee species in Pakistan keep thriving, but will help them carry pollen like tiny balls of Velcro from one blossom to another. 'Without bees, most plants would die,' one of the experts said.

But there is even more exciting news. The programme will also support 80 per cent of the population which inhabits rural areas. 'The initiative especially supports poor families in rural areas through introducing the concept of sustainable beekeeping and providing them with education, financial support and technical...