Chitwan, July 3, 2025
Honey produced in Chitwan has been found to be rich in nutrients. A laboratory test conducted by the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control revealed that honey from this region contains abundant nutritional elements.
According to Sujan Amgain, head of the Bee Development Center in Bhandara, the honey produced in Chitwan meets the quality standards set by the Government of Nepal and is found to be rich in nutrients. The Bee Development Center, Bhandara, and the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project Implementation Unit had collected samples from 11 farms and sent them for quality testing. All the samples were found to be of good quality.
He stated, “We sent samples of Rudilo, mustard, Chiuri, buckwheat, and wild-sourced honey from 11 farms in Chitwan for testing, and all showed good levels of Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF).” Based on this test, he said, the honey produced here can be used with confidence.
According to him, the tested parameters in honey included moisture content, fructose-glucose ratio, reducing sugar, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), ash, formic acid, water-insoluble matter, and sucrose content. He added, “During testing, the HMF level was found to be between 10 to 15 mg per kilogram, whereas honey with more than 40 mg per kilogram is not considered good.” Honey with more than 40 mg of HMF per kilogram is considered to have been processed or exposed to high heat.
Amgain explained that the testing was carried out after some consumers raised doubts and spread confusion regarding the quality of honey. Honey samples were collected from beekeeping farmers in Kalika Municipality, Ratnanagar Municipality, Khairahani Municipality, and Rapti Municipality for the tests.
In Nepal, there are a total of 247,000 bee colonies, including 130,000 of the Apis mellifera species and 117,000 of the Apis cerana species. Chitwan alone has 16,500 bee colonies. Nepal produces around 4,000 metric tons of honey annually, out of which Chitwan contributes approximately 430 metric tons.
