India’s first NABL-accredited honey testing lab inaugurated

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday inaugurated India’s initial honey tests lab set up by National Dairy Advancement Board (NDDB) at Anand.

The tests lab will unlock probable for apiarists to not just get domestic small business but also take gain of exports to the US and Europe. Till just lately, the exporters were being expected to ship their samples to Germany for tests.

The enhancement comes after National Bee Board’s 10 years-lengthy wait for a federal government tests facility for honey.

“Standard excellent tests and certifications are the main requirements and preconditions for exporting honey to the marketplaces this kind of as the US and Europe. The new lab will take a look at honey as per the norms specified by the meals safety regulator FSSAI. The excellent honey will raise exports and make certain improved costs for farmers,” reported Tomar introducing that this shift will add to India’s attempts to double farmers’ earnings by 2025.

The lab — set up with ₹7.7-crore funding from the federal government — has been accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Tests and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and Export Inspection Council. It has also received an approval from FSSAI as a nationwide reference lab. The federal government has allotted ₹500 crore for bee-retaining infrastructure enhancement below Atmanirbhar Bharat deal.

NDDB Chairman Dilip Rath reported that the Board has set up the facility after FSSAI notified excellent expectations for honey, as there was no complete tests lab in the state.

Rath also mentioned that a proposal has been sent to the Union Agriculture Ministry to give Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) tests to establish ‘Country of Origin’.

Through the e-inauguration, Union Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Giriraj Singh reported, “Honey’s authenticity experienced turn out to be a significant situation as suppliers indulged into unethical techniques for financial gains. The tests lab will assistance honey farmers, cooperatives and honey sector to deliver excellent honey for domestic use and exports.”