Media Release

Puttur, Jan 29: In a significant achievement, Abdul Gaffar, a resident of Berikey House, Nekkilady, Uppinangady, has successfully transported 100 stingless bee colonies along with bees to Gujarat. The transportation was carried out via train from Mangaluru to Gujarat, passing through Bengaluru.

A Gulf returnee, Gaffar initially took up beekeeping as a hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, his passion soon turned into a full-time profession. He attributes his success to the guidance of Manmohan Arambya, who directed him to RUDSETI Ujire for scientific training in beekeeping.

Today, Gaffar manages an extensive collection of bee colonies, including 2,000 stingless bee colonies, 500 cerana bee colonies, and 10 white stingless bee colonies, known as Lisotrigona. Notably, he is the only beekeeper in Karnataka to own Lisotrigona colonies. As part of his contribution to research, he has also donated one Lisotrigona colony to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru.

Gaffar has expanded his work beyond beekeeping. He now deals in high-quality honey, bee pollen, beeswax, bee comb, and bee propolis. Additionally, he has designed innovative beehives tailored for stingless bees, making beekeeping more accessible and efficient. With the increasing demand for stingless bee colonies due to their medicinal benefits, his work has gained widespread recognition.

Acknowledging his journey, Gaffar expressed gratitude to his mentor Manmohan Arambya, RUDSETI Ujire, and senior researchers from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru—Dr Shashidhar and Dr K T Vijayakumar—for their unwavering support and guidance.

His remarkable success stands as an inspiration, highlighting the potential of beekeeping as a promising profession and contributing to the preservation of these essential pollinators.