Marthandam Honey

Marthandam Honey is a multi-floral honey collected by beekeepers around Marthandam in Kanniyakumari district, a region of rubber plantations, spice gardens and flowering forest at the foot of the Western Ghats. The honey draws its distinctive flavour and aroma from the varied nectar of rubber, wildflowers and forest blooms, and is prized for its natural, unadulterated quality. Marthandam has a long association with organised beekeeping, having been an early centre for training and cooperative honey production in South India, which helped many rural households take up apiculture. Beekeepers maintain hive boxes among the plantations, harvest the honey and process it with care to preserve its aroma. Valued as a natural sweetener and health food, the honey provides an important supplementary income to farming and forest-fringe families and supports the region's beekeeping tradition.