Anantnag: A 35-year-old woman is emerging as a successful businesswoman by running a beekeeping venture, providing several quintals of honey each year, and earning a handsome amount annually.
Nusrat Jan, wife of Nazir Ahmad and a resident of the town of Hillar Shahabad in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, was married immediately after passing the tenth grade. However, her determination and continuous effort have propelled her to entrepreneurial success.
At one time, Nusrat never imagined she would start a business, but with passion and the full support of her in-laws, she stepped out of her home and began a beekeeping venture.
Nusrat said, “We had been thinking for two years about how to expand the business. Then we got a government loan and bought a processing plant. My husband was already associated with honey bee farming, and it took me seven years to learn all the processes. Now, our business is flourishing.”
Today, under the name “Rahat Organic Honey”, several stalls operate in various locations.
Despite numerous challenges, she never gave up and continued her work diligently. Nusrat said that if her husband had not supported her, it would have been difficult to continue. “Initially, I had very few beekeeping boxes, but now I have 400 boxes, which provide several quintals of honey each year,” she said, adding that to bring more transparency to her business, she installed a filtration machine last year, which led to further growth.
Nusrat believes that working as a woman in Kashmir is particularly challenging because more people discourage rather than encourage. However, the situation is gradually changing, with women showcasing their abilities in various fields, she added.
“With determination and passion, anyone can start a small business. Although beekeeping is a small enterprise, I am satisfied with my work,” she said. “Initially, very few people visited my stalls, but now the number of customers is increasing daily.”
Nusrat is also a responsible homemaker. She manages all her household responsibilities and then goes to her factory to oversee her work. “I am managing both my home and my business. Initially, a woman fears stepping into a male-dominated field, but there is nothing to worry about. You have to overcome the fear. This work is male-dominated in Kashmir, which I am now handling well,” she said.
After installing a filtration plant in Hillar Shahabad, she set up stalls on the Dooru Verinag Road and Anantnag Kokernag Road, which are receiving a good response.
Nusrat Jan says she is earning good profits from beekeeping, which meets her household needs. “We have two types of honey available – white honey and wild honey – which are exported to various states across the country. These are pure and priced much lower than other companies,” she said, adding that Kashmir is a suitable place for beekeeping.
Nusrat advised other housewives to “step out of your homes and start small businesses in this era of inflation”—(KNO)
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