Apiculture or bee-keeping is an industry in the developed countries. In the developing countries  its  full  potential  is yet  to be  realised. The  untapped  potential  for  bee-keeping  in  the  tropical  countries,  with  their  rich  flora and  favourable climate, is high. Most  of  the developing countries   in   the   tropical   belt   have   an urgent   need  for  increasing opportunities for  gainful   employment   and   income  in the rural areas. Apiculture can make useful contribution in this respect as the research and  developmental  work already done suggests that it can be raised  to  the status  of  a  viable  economic  proposition and a source for stable occupation for the rural   masses. In order to achieve a widespread impact, there is need  to develop an appropriate technological package supplemented  and  supported by adequate service and developmental efforts.

Realising the importance of apiculture for honey production as well as for crop pollination, an international conference was organised in London in 1976 by the 'World Crops' in collaboration with the International Bee Research Association. The recommendations flowing out of the first conference have intensified research and developmental activities relating to apiculture in tropical climates. The Second International Conference at New Delhi has been organised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in collaboration with the Khadi & Village Industries Commission, the Department of Science & Technology and the Indian National Science Academy. The attention in this conference will be focussed on identification of the constraints responsible for the prevailing gap between the potential and actual productivity of apiculture systems in the tropics. The conference will also bend its energies in devising a master plan of action for making apiculture a source of gainful employment in the rural areas of the developing countries in the tropics.

Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department is happy to commemorate the Second International Conference on Apiculture in Tropical Climates by issuing a special postage stamp.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India