Once a person tastes the sweetness of honey, he or she wants more of that. But what grassroots tribal farmers of Baksa – an aspirational district of Assam – have tasted is not just the sweetness of honey, but the sweetness of income generated by way of beekeeping and producing honey which is fit for export to foreign markets. It was on Saturday that an export consignment of an amazing 20 metric tonnes of honey produced by farmers of Baksa was flagged off in Guwahati for onwards dispatch to the USA. Produced under the ambitious One District One Product (ODOP) initiative launched in 2020-21 under the centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises scheme, the export consignment was facilitated by APEDA. Important to note, the whole of the Northeast has been identified as the most important region for the production of high-quality honey. Assam holds significant potential for honey production owing to its rich biodiversity, abundant forest resources and long-standing tradition of beekeeping. Honey collection has been practised for centuries by the Karbi, Mishing, Bodo and other indigenous communities, which have been traditionally consuming honey as food and medicine, apart from using it in various cultural and religious practices. While the latest official figures say that Assam produced over 1,650 metric tonnes of honey in 2023-24, the potential has been fixed at 10,000 metric tonnes per annum. It is also important to note that the demand for organically grown agri-horticultural products from Assam has been rising rapidly in international markets recently. Consignments of several such products have been regularly exported from the state to several countries. While the state horticulture and food processing departments have been offering bee-keeping schemes to the farmers by fostering scientific apiculture under the Mission for Integrated Horticulture, emphasis has been laid on enhancing quality in order to meet international standards for potential growth. Though Baksa district has been recognized as a key producer of honey under the ODOP programme, and it clinched media headlines for exporting 20 metric tonnes of honey on Saturday, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Udalguri and Tamulpur districts too have been considered crucial for honey production. Significantly, several major Indian FMCG brands, including Dabur and Patanjali, have been sourcing honey from Assam as part of their domestic procurement strategies. With such companies already having their presence in Assam, it is for the state government to take full advantage and implement the honey production scheme by engaging more seriously with the grassroots farmers, especially in the Bodoland districts. Reports quoting official sources have said that though the private sector companies extend support to local farmers, the new export initiatives are said to benefit beekeepers by way of getting approximately 43% higher prices.