Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM)
India's first dedicated state honey mission — improved bee boxes, equipment, scientific training and a honey testing lab for Nagaland's beekeepers.
Run by: Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission (State Designated Agency), Government of Nagaland
- Set up
- October 2007, by the state
- Distinction
- India's first state honey mission
- Role
- State Designated Agency for beekeeping
- 2030 target
- ~2,000 MT annual honey
Quick Summary
The key points from this page in about two minutes — read it or have it read aloud.
Quick Summary
Nagaland has a long village tradition of keeping bees, and the state decided early that honey could be a serious cash earner for hill families if it were organised. The Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission is that effort — notably, it was the first dedicated, mission-mode beekeeping programme set up by any state in India, back in 2007, well before the central honey mission existed. It is the state's designated agency for all beekeeping development in Nagaland.
What makes this mission unusual is that it deliberately shifted away from a pure subsidy hand-out toward growth promotion — hands-on capacity building. A beekeeper gets training in scientific beekeeping, improved movable bee boxes and equipment, help with colony management, and access to a honey testing laboratory (set up in 2022) that checks purity so Nagaland honey can be sold with a quality guarantee. The point is that a trained beekeeper with good equipment earns far more, and keeps earning, than one handed a box and left alone.
For a beekeeper, the route is through the mission itself (headquartered at Chumukedima) and the state horticulture / department channels it works with, which run the training programmes and equipment distribution. Because it is a mission rather than a fixed cash scheme, the exact support available — boxes, equipment, training slots — depends on the year's programme, so the mission office is the place to confirm what is open now. The mission has set itself a target of reaching 2,000 metric tonnes of annual honey production by 2030.
Overview
The Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) was set up by the state government in October 2007. It is recognised as the first mission-mode beekeeping and honey programme launched by any state in India, and a forerunner in the sector in the North-East. It is the State Designated Agency (SDA) for all beekeeping development programmes in Nagaland, and is headquartered at Chumukedima.
The mission made a deliberate choice to move away from a subsidy-oriented approach toward growth promotion — focusing on hands-on capacity building rather than one-off hand-outs. In practice this means scientific-beekeeping training, distribution of improved movable (and fixed) bee boxes and equipment, and colony-management support. Reports credit it with supplying thousands of improved bee boxes to a few hundred honey growers along with training, and it set up a honey testing laboratory in 2022, supported by NECTAR, so that Nagaland honey can be certified for purity.
The mission sits within the wider horticulture framework and works alongside the central National Beekeeping and Honey Mission — which shares the same NBHM initials but is a separate Government of India scheme. The state mission has set a target of reaching about 2,000 metric tonnes of annual honey production by 2030. Because it operates as a mission, the specific support in any year (training, boxes, equipment) depends on the current programme, confirmed through the mission office.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- Training in scientific beekeeping and colony management.
- Improved movable bee boxes and beekeeping equipment.
- A honey testing laboratory (since 2022) that certifies purity for better market value.
- Capacity building, not a one-off subsidy — aimed at keeping a beekeeper earning year after year.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Resident of Nagaland taking up or practising beekeeping
- Willing to train in scientific beekeeping
- Individual beekeeper or a beekeepers' group / collective
- Enrolled through the mission's programmes
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Aadhaar card
- Proof of residence in Nagaland
- Bank passbook
- Enrolment with the mission / beekeepers' group where applicable
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Contact the mission
Approach the Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission (headquartered at Chumukedima) or your district horticulture / department channel about current training and equipment programmes.
- 2
Train and set up
Take the scientific-beekeeping training and receive improved bee boxes and equipment as provided under the year's programme.
- 3
Use the testing lab and market links
Get your honey tested for purity at the mission's laboratory and use the quality certification to sell at a better price.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- For training or equipment promised but not received, or a query on the testing-lab certification, take it up with the Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission office (Chumukedima) and the administrative department it works under (nbhmnagaland.com).
- Nagaland does not have a single state-wide public-grievance portal; beyond the mission, the District administration (Deputy Commissioner's office) is the general escalation for a scheme-level complaint.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as the central National Beekeeping & Honey Mission?
No — though they share the initials "NBHM". The Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission is the state's own agency, set up in 2007. The central National Beekeeping and Honey Mission is a separate Government of India scheme that came later. The state mission predates it and is the designated agency within Nagaland.
What does a beekeeper actually get?
Training in scientific beekeeping, improved movable bee boxes and equipment, colony-management support, and access to a honey testing laboratory. The emphasis is on capacity building rather than a one-time cash subsidy.
Why is it known as "India's first honey mission"?
Because Nagaland set it up in 2007 as the first dedicated, mission-mode beekeeping and honey programme by any state in the country — ahead of the later central mission.
What is the testing lab for?
The honey testing laboratory, set up in 2022 with NECTAR's support, checks honey purity. Certified-pure honey sells for a better price and is easier to market outside the state.
How do I join?
Through the mission office at Chumukedima and the state horticulture / department channels it works with, which run the training and equipment-distribution programmes. The support available depends on the current year's programme.
Facts checked against nbhmnagaland.com on 8 October 2026. editorial policy.