Absence of bees on fields leaves onion seed manufacturers in tears

Farmers like Mulik consider honey bees as an indispensable part of their production cycle but this year, onion seed growers and companies are stumped at the absence of the tiny insects in their fields. Unlike wheat which is self-pollinated, onion requires agents for pollination and honey bees account for more than 70 per cent of the pollination. These tiny insects are attracted to the honey dew (a sticky sweet liquid secreted by the flowers) and sit on them. In this process, pollen grains are rubbed on the feet of the bee from the anther (the male reproductive part of the flower) and deposited into the stigma (the female reproductive part).

This year, the conspicuous absence of bees is a cause of concern for both seed producers and companies. Bhairavnath B Thombare, chairperson of Ellora Natural Seeds in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, admitted the problem. One of the largest producer of the seed, this company has contracts with farmers in Washim, Yavatmal, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and some parts of Madhya Pradesh for production of onion seeds. “Around 2-2.5 quintals of seeds are harvested from an acre,” he said.

Growers plant their crop between October and November and the first flowering starts in January and continues till March. During this crucial time, the industrious bees work their magic on the start-shaped flowers. Once the pollination is done and seeds are formed, farmers harvest the same. Post sun drying, the seed is dispatched to companies like Ellora and Rahee, where it is tested, treated, packed and shipped to the markets. On an average, around 15,000 tonnes of onion seeds are produced in the country in a year. Onion farmers mostly use their own seeds and deficit if any is met by the companies.

On what has caused the drastic drop in bee pollination is not clear but Sanjay Patil, head of fruit research centre of Vasantrao Naik Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, cites the indiscriminate usage of pesticides as one of the major threats for the dwindling bee population. “Unregulated usage of pesticides is the biggest cause of dip in bee population. Even if seed producers do not use insecticides, the plot next to them might have used it, which can cause large scale destruction of the bees,” he said. Globally, it is estimated that around 30 per cent of the bee population is at threat of extinction.

As bees go missing, seed manufacturers have taken on the long and tedious process of pollinating their crop. This involves physically touching each and every flower with gloved hand and physically pollinating the plants.

Rahul Jadhav, CEO of Rahee Seeds, said in some parts, two farmers carry a soft cotton cloth and move around the crop which ensures pollination. “But these are just makeshift arrangements, there is no replacement to natural pollination carried out by bees,” he said.

The artificial process starts when the flowers are at honey dew point—when they produce the honey which attracts the bees. “This happens at the crack of dawn and farm labour is hard to get at that time,” said Jadhav.

Mulik had infact got two honey bee boxes on hire for his field but the bees were not able to ensure pollination. Jadhav explains that for pollination of onion flowers, the Sateri (Apis cerna indica) is preferred while the boxes normally have colonies of Apis Melilfera. “These are bigger bees which get attracted to other flowers like those of mangoes or bajari. Some farmers keep those boxes but they do not serve any purpose,” he said.