Interview with Tecla David

Tecla David of Sussundenge in Manica Province, western Mozambique started beekeeping as a teenager. In 1999 she established herself as a honey trader and since then her business has grown along with the sector. BfD interviewed Tecla in August 2013 about recent developments.

BfD: Where are you currently buying honey, and where do you sell it?

TD: I buy honey from small groups of local beekeepers based in Sussundenge District. I also harvest my own honey. With regard to sales, my business has two facets: I sell larger orders to supermarkets which will go nationwide (this is how my honey business started), and in 2006 I started my own shop in Sussundenge Casa do Mel (House of Honey) which has become a really important part of the business. The shop sells mainly to local people, especially the sick, but has taken on a life of its own. Through the shop I have developed a good local reputation and a degree of visibility I did not have before.

BfD: How has the honey market in Mozambique developed in recent years? Is the domestic market sufficient for sales?

TD: Compared with when I started in the 1990s, the consumption of honey has increased significantly - which of course has helped my business to grow. Last year I sold over five tonnes of honey.

Also more people in areas like Sussundenge are becoming interested in producing their own honey. Nevertheless, the domestic market still is not very large and I believe that exporting to the EU is a necessary development for the industry.

Chizizira Associations’ collection centre

PHOTOS © TECLA DAVID

Tecla’s shop in Sussundenge: Casa do Mel (House of Honey)

BfD: You hope to establish a Residue Monitoring Plan (RMP) in Mozambique to enable you to sell to the EU. What is the current situation?

TD: Mozambique still has no RMP. There has been increasing pressure from new honey traders which has brought about more dialogue, but the process stopped again recently. Our current government has started to see the value in apiculture and the potential it has for poverty reduction. For this reason I am sure that we will soon develop a RMP.

BfD: Have you considered trading in beeswax?

TD: No. I rarely come into contact with my producers’ wax and there is no market for beeswax here in Mozambique. However, as beeswax does not have as many regulations as honey, selling to the EU would be a possibility.

BfD: Please tell us more about your association of beekeepers.

TD: I buy honey from a group named the Chizizira Association. I provide technical assistance and train them in apiculture, as many of them are new to beekeeping. Of course I buy their honey to sell within my business. I prefer to buy their honey because of my personal involvement with the association, but unfortunately I cannot always purchase as much as I would like. Their production is going really well and we need to secure other buyers for their honey. The 50 beekeepers currently involved have varying numbers of hives, and for those with more, honey has become a large part of their income. Some members have gone on to use that money to send their children to school or university, improve their homes, or purchase animals and small farms. The association is a great example of apiculture’s capacity to improve livelihoods and has consequently fostered greater interest in beekeeping in the area.

BfD: What are your hopes for the future?

TD: I hope to secure financial support to help me to sustain the shop and develop my business. I would like to invest in equipment such as a computer. With regard to apiculture in Sussundenge, investment is needed. We have fantastic conditions and are producing good quality honey, and with the right finance we could produce so much more. For Mozambique the long term aim is securing the RMP soon to allow us to export our honey to the EU.