Significance of Honey Bee as a Pollinator in Improving Horticultural Crop Productivity in N.E. Region, India: A Review

Sustainable food production system is the key to sustainable development especially for farming communities where horticulture is the mainstay of economy. The focus of agriculture in the North Eastern region of India is slowly shifting from traditional cultivation system to high-value horticultural crops farming such as fruits and vegetables. The change of subsistence systems to commercial cultivation of horticultural crops posses’ new challenges for improving crop productivity and quality. Amongst several factors attributing to low productivity or crop failures inadequate pollination is the most important that include the lack of adequate number of pollinators as a result of decline in pollinator. Based on review studies in horticultural crop pollination issues and farmers’ concerns in North Eastern region, this paper presents a general picture of pollination issues faced by the farmers in the region. The paper explains the importance of pollination in improving food security and livelihoods through enhancing productivity of horticultural crops such as fruits and vegetables.