Interview: Patrun Chikolwizu, Operations Manager, Forest Fruits Ltd., Zambia

Patrun Chikolwizu is Operations Manager for Forest Fruits Ltd. in Zambia. His area of responsibility is the district of Mwinilunga in the North West Province of Zambia. In this area the predominant honey production system is bark-hive beekeeping, an activity which provides a source of income for thousands of families.

Patrun Chikolwizu

Photos © Patrun Chikolwizu

Q. does the job of Operations Manager job involve?

I am responsible for mobilising beekeepers to supply the company with honey, training beekeepers to follow our procedures and meet our quality standards, and of course buying and processing honey. The mobilisation part involves organising beekeepers into groups who then select their own Contact Beekeeper (CB). The CB is the main point of contact between the beekeepers and the company. I maintain a database of all our suppliers.

Q. The busiest time of year must be the harvest time - what does this involve?

Starting in October we begin the task of distributing buckets to our beekeeping groups - some of whom are over 100km away from the factory. Then when the buckets are filled, we have the task of weighing, paying and collecting the buckets from the many collection points. The season may involve several rounds of bucket delivery and collection, as the honey cropping continues for some months. This year we predict a good harvest and expect to purchase more than 700 tonnes of raw honey comb.

Harvesting honey and beeswax from bees housed in a bark hive

Photo © Bees for development

Q. So bucket logistics must be complicated?

We are dealing in many thousands of buckets. Each beekeeper gives us a forecast of how many buckets they need. We then deliver the requested number of buckets to each Contact Beekeeper – and the beekeepers collect buckets from the CBs. Each stage in the distribution is accompanied by a bucket distribution form, against which we reconcile the number of buckets as they come back to us with honey. The CBs are held accountable for the buckets they receive and if buckets go missing this will affect the commission they receive on each bucket of honey they supply to us.

Q. The company’s honey is certified as organic - did beekeepers have to alter their practices to meet the organic standard?

To some extent, yes. They are required to be very careful with the storage of honey prior to collection – honey should be stored in an approved place and not in their own houses – for risk of crosscontamination. They must use buckets belonging to the company – as this way we can guarantee they are clean and uncontaminated. We also advise them on good harvesting practices. However, we have nature on our side – the honey we buy is harvested from natural forests where there is no pollution, and beekeepers use no medicines in their hives.

Q. Can you tell us a little about the importance of traceability in achieving the organic standard?

As each bucket is collected from the field it is given a tag with the ID number of the beekeeper who produced it, the weight and the bucket number. So for example if a beekeeper produced 6 buckets, the ID tags for his buckets will be numbered 1–6. All the buckets collected on a certain trip are a batch and each batch is kept separate and identified with a stock card. The stock card details the date the batch was delivered to the factory, who received it, where it came from (group and area) and the number of buckets. The honey is then processed and packed into 200 litre drums. The batch information is carried through to the drums so that the origin of honey in each drum is known.

Q. We understand that beeswax is an important part of the business – how is it processed?

After the honey has been extracted from the combs we wash the combs in water, then melt them in boiling water. While still melted, we squeeze the mixture of hot wax and water through a sieve into a large metal drum, and before it hardens we transfer it into smaller buckets. This is just for practical reasons. The wax floats above the water, hardens and is removed. These blocks are then broken up and re-melted in our wax melter. From here the wax (wax only, not the water) is tapped out of the melter through a final straining cloth into the block moulds. When cool, these rectangular blocks are bagged ready for export.

Q. What conversion rates do you expect to achieve?

From 100 tonnes of raw honey comb we may lose 5% in loss, wastage and slumgum leaving 95 tonnes. Of this amount 82% is honey and 18% is wax - so that is 78 tonnes of honey and 17 tonnes of wax.

Q. What is the most challenging part of your job?

Doing business in rural Zambia is difficult. Our beekeepers don’t always understand our quality demands and the costs associated with our business operations. Transportation is a problem because we are collecting honey in the rainy season – impassable roads and lorry breakdowns are constant challenges. It can happen that we have purchased honey from a group but cannot collect it for 2–3 months – until the roads have dried. Then even on the processing side we have problems. The equipment we use is delicate and precise but not designed for our situation, and often needs modification and careful maintenance to keep the processing running smoothly.

Q. You have worked for Forest Fruits Ltd. for 14 years – have you seen changes in the standard of living of beekeepers?

I started my work in the field. I was responsible for designing many of the logistics of supply, delivery and transportation. I have seen beekeepers progress from selling 2 buckets only, to 30 buckets. Those who were sleeping in houses with grass roofs, now have roofs made of iron sheets. Beekeepers who did not even own a bicycle now own motorbikes. Beekeepers have opened grocery stores, bought cattle and importantly are using their income to invest in their children’s education. These many changes have come through the honey industry.

Q. And finally, what are your thoughts on the future?

My concern is deforestation. There are many causes of course - including the making of hives themselves. That kills trees - but also population growth, farming, charcoal making and mining. Mine expansion is really under way and this is incompatible with forest beekeeping. I see there is a need for livelihood diversification. People need alternative cash crops to supplement what they get from beekeeping. Beekeeping is very important but my concern is whether production can expand much further given the pressures on the forest.

Forest Fruits Ltd are based in Lusaka, Zambia. Find out more about their produce at zambezigold.com