Q.1 How would you describe the market potential for the processing of Honey-based products and the opportunities for Honey processing at a micro food processing level?

Processed & Packed Honey has huge untapped market potential. With people becoming more & more aware of the health benefits of Honey and shifting towards natural sweeteners, Honey demand is bound to grow. Locally produced Honey sold in neighbouring areas is preferred and gets excellent returns to producers and packers. It also gives a sense of purity to consumers.

Q.2 Could you please tell us about the support and facilities provided by Kejriwal Bee Care India Pvt. Ltd. to micro food processing enterprises?

We do complete end-to-end hand-holding, starting from advisory on the migration of Bee Hives to primary processing of Honey. We have full-time entomologists/professional Beekeepers on our payroll who train them on Good Beekeeping Practices & Good Manufacturing Practices. We also keep them updated on market trends.

Q.3 What are your thoughts on the scope of value addition in Honey processing?

Honey is one of the best delivery agents for any nutraceutical product. During COVID times people have realized the immunity benefits of Honey Concoctions - Honey with Indian herbs & spices. We as a company sold huge quantities of Honey with turmeric, Honey with Ashwagandha & Honey with cinnamon. A combination of Honey with pollen & propolis also has huge potential and is globally very popular.

Q.4 With the immense experience that you have gathered over the period, how do you think the PMFME Scheme would be able to empower micro-food processing enterprises?

This is an excellent initiative taken by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India and it helps both existing as well as new entrepreneurs to install and upgrade their manufacturing units. The amount of subsidy and the all-round support offered under the PMFME Scheme is a great motivation for entrepreneurs. I am sure this shall have a great impact in rural areas and slowly turn them into micro food processing hubs and thus, reduce overall food wastage. This shall help us conserve our heritage and promote local food. Economic activity will start at the farm level thus giving better returns to the farmer and better nutrition to consumers.

Q.5 What would be your advice to aspiring food processing entrepreneurs?

One of the foremost advice would be to derive maximum benefit from the PMFME My suggestion to aspiring food processors always is that they should try to come out with innovative products/packaging. Rich Indian traditional food/age-old recipes should be offered to Indian consumers in convenient forms. We must come out with ways to increase the shelf life of products without using chemical agents thus developing a niche for ourselves and creating a local market for the same. Based on experience & feedback from the local market, we should then improve our products & packaging and then slowly expand. We must try to encash on the uniqueness of a product based on its geographical location & culture.

About the Guest

Mr. Amit Dhanuka initially joined his family business of Steel Casting and then moved to Delhi in 1998 to explore new areas of opportunities as a Management Trainee with the Kejriwal Group of Companies. With his passion to travel the countryside and interact with people there, he has been able to motivate thousands of people to adopt Bee Keeping. Through his efforts, he was able to achieve the social motive of creating employment for the rural landless farmer and a supply base for his own exports.

He is presently the CEO of Kejriwal Bee Care India Private Limited and has been able to achieve a name for Indian Honey in the International market. KBCIPL is one of the leading exporters and processors of Natural Honey and has also been awarded by APEDA a number of times. He is a certified Food Safety Auditor and has been an active member of the National Bee Board for the overall growth of the Beekeeping sector.

About Kejriwal Bee Care India Pvt. Ltd.

Established in the year 1967, the Kejriwal Group has been an excellent source of a wide diversity of food products from India for nearly 45 years – from Fruit Pulps, Spices, Tea, Rice, etc. to of course Honey. At the core of this well-established credibility is Kejriwal Group’s track record of quality, which by itself has become a stamp of reliability in the overseas market. Starting in 1996 with Honey, the Kejriwal Group is the pioneer of honey exports from India to the EU, the USA and the Middle East. Its state-of-the-art facility is equipped to handle 15000 MT of honey per year to meet the demands of the International and Indian Markets. All operations are fully automatic with a well-designed closed-circuit honey processing line with a manual interface, ensuring quality and hygiene throughout, in keeping with international norms.

Kejriwal Honey has continuously strived to adhere to stringent norms in its production process to let its customers avail of the ultimate benefits of honey in its purest form. The company’s manufacturing expertise has not only been confined to raw honey but it has even extended its horizons to other products. Its brands include a variety of natural products, which boast of honey’s healing qualities with other natural ingredients.