A farmer from Zelenodolsk has begun to develop a new direction in agritourism
Honey land - this is how Tatarstan is sometimes called, occupying a leading position in Russia in the development of beekeeping. In 2023 alone, more than 3.5 thousand tons of commercial honey were produced in the republic. A representative of the Tatarstan dynasty of beekeepers, who combined traditions and innovations in his business, proved that honey can not only be produced, but also made an exciting process for tourists, and an entire tourist infrastructure can be built around the apiaries. Dmitry Evdokimenko, a graduate of the educational project of the Russian Agricultural Bank "Farmer's School" last year in the direction of "Agritourism" and a student of the new course "Cooperation", spoke about the milestones of his path.
"The history of our family business began in 1990 with the selection of a plot of land in a rural area for the organization of a stationary apiary. The main criteria for choosing were distance from polluting industries and the presence of a rich wild honey base. The village of Lukovskoye in the Zelenodolsk district was chosen as such a place, where our family received a plot of land for a personal subsidiary farm. Over time, a small house was built on the plot, a garden was planted, and a vegetable garden was organized. And an apiary was also laid out,” says Dmitry Evdokimenko.
According to him, everything at the apiary was created by his father’s hands: he made the hives, frames for them, and mastered the intricacies of handling bees. Moreover, the family had experience - the farmer's relatives had been engaged in beekeeping for more than 50 years. “Since childhood, I was on hand at my father’s apiaries: either bringing a tool, or working as a smoker during an inspection of the hives, or twisting a honey extractor while pumping honey. This is how our apiary was born in the early 90s,” notes Dmitry Evdokimenko.
And then the apiary grew and developed, expanding the range of beekeeping products. "The development of the apiary is possible not only through increasing the number of bee colonies and the volume of beekeeping products, but also through organizing agritourism services, such as conducting tours of the apiary, master classes on the revision of hives, participation of tourists in the process of pumping out honey, "sleeping on bees" in special apiaries and, of course, tea drinking with honey tasting.
It is very important that potential buyers know their beekeepers personally, have the opportunity to see the production process. This is becoming very popular against the background of an increase in the volume of counterfeit honey in retail outlets," the farmer shares his experience.
Agritourism has become a new milestone in the beekeeping business, the basics of which Dmitry Evdokimenko studied at the "Farmer's School".
"Of course, the "Farmer's School" project is a powerful driver that can teach how to build a profitable farming business. "Farmer's School" is a starter that starts a very complex mechanism of business implementation from an idea to obtaining a stable profit.
This training project is relevant and in demand both for beginners in the agricultural sector and for more experienced specialists. It allows you to systematize existing knowledge, as well as to acquire modern highly specialized skills for the development of agricultural facilities. The new communications received, the exchange of experience with new colleagues stimulate the training participants to take new heights in agribusiness," emphasized Dmitry Evdokimenko.
It should be noted that agritourism is included in the national project "Tourism and Hospitality Industry". Within its framework, farmers will receive grants of up to 10 million rubles to create infrastructure for tourists. With this money, farms can improve the territory, purchase the necessary equipment and create conditions for visiting tourists.
"Agritourism" is designed to help entrepreneurs expand their business and receive additional income through an alternative channel for selling their products. Thanks to this type of state support, new tourist sites will appear in the republic, which will contribute to increasing the attractiveness of rural areas and their sustainable development.