Two Koregaon youths' beehives now pollinate Virat Kohli's Alibag farmhouse

The beekeeping business of two young men from Koregaon taluka in Satara district has caught the eye of Virat Kohli, former captain of the Indian cricket team. Kohli and his wife, actress Anushka Sharma, have bought beehives from Satish Shirke and Pratik Karpe of Koregaon. The couple have a farmhouse in Alibag, where the bees will help raise farm yields through pollination.

Shirke is from Bobdewadi village in Koregaon taluka and Karpe is from Borjaiwadi. The two began beekeeping on a very small scale eight years ago. They faced many difficulties at first, but they insisted on fully organic beekeeping. It was this organic approach that reached Kohli's team.

The Alibag farmhouse practises natural farming. The couple wanted the yield of its crops to depend on natural pollination rather than chemicals. With this in mind, they decided to take beehives from the two young men. With a business that began in a small taluka like Koregaon now reaching the farmhouse of a major national celebrity, there is fresh enthusiasm among young entrepreneurs. The two have shown that persistence, steady hard work and organic practice are always valued.

Heavy use of manure to raise yields on a farmhouse can pose health risks. This unusual idea of keeping bees and using them for pollination to raise the harvest was therefore adopted. A full 50 hives have been sent to Alibag. Each hive holds eight to twelve thousand bees. The bees are expected to raise yields by 20 to 30 per cent.

Kohli learnt of the business online. As demand for organic products is high online, Shirke and Karpe had advertised their business on a digital platform. Kohli's managers learnt of the honey from there. When the talk turned to raising the farm's output, beekeeping came up and the search for the Koregaon entrepreneurs began.

At the Alibag farmhouse, the bees will now pollinate the fruit orchards and vegetables naturally and raise yields. Shirke, a beekeeper, says, "Bees matter a great deal in farming. They give not just honey; the quality and yield of crops also rise by 30 to 40 per cent."