Urban growth stings honey producers

VADODARA: Farmers of Sherkhi could have earned sweeter returns as the village was once known to be an ideal habitat for the production of an expensive variety of honey. Kunchi Makhi or apis florea, a species of bee known to produce honey with medicinal properties, is fast disappearing here.
Salvadora Persica or 'Piludi' trees known to be the habitat of the apis florea honeybees are fast decreasing in Sherkhi located in Vadodara taluka.The decrease is being blamed on rapid urbanization in the area.
"Piludi is specifically known for being a honeybee rearing tree. There were nearly 1,000 trees in the village but in last 10 years, their number has reduced to just around 500," said Amita Sankhwal, a botantist who conducted the study under the Gujarat Ecology Society.
Over the last decade, farmers in Sherkhi have been selling their land for development. Fast-paced growth has led to rampant deforestation causing the decrease in the number of Salvadora trees. The tree is also known for its ecological and economic value apart from its medicinal quality. The tree is also the habitat for a variety of owl species along with rosy starling, a migratory bird.
"The honey produced by Kunchi Makhi is worth Rs 800 per kg in the market today. People here are aware of its medicinal qualities but not its international market value. Honey is essentially made of anti-oxidants, glucose, fructose and water. This smaller species of bee and the salvadora tree contributes to the medicinal quality in the honey," said Jagruti Rathod, a city-based zoologist.
According to Rathod, American Cancer Society has been promoting honey for cancer treatment and heart diseases since last year which makes this honey a valued product. Various researches across the globe are being conducted on the medicinal benefits of the Kunchi Maakhi honey.
"It is an expensive variety of honey and was available here easily. With the new buildings and people cutting down the trees, we have lost an opportunity of a better livelihood. Even farmers have shifted to fences from hedges that were usually made of salvadora trees," said Dhula Makwana, a farmer from Sherkhi village.