9th National Honey Week and 1st Apiculture Congress

Biryomumaisho Dickson, Executive Director TUNADO and Birungi Phionah, Programme Manager TUNADO, Kampala, Uganda

It is now a tradition for TUNADO (The Uganda National Apiculture Development Organisation) to organise National Honey Week in August, and this year’s event took the theme Doing beekeeping as a business. This was selected by stakeholders needing to move on from small-scale subsistencelevel beekeeping, to beekeeping as a business. Honey Week focused on creating awareness of business opportunities to develop successful apiculture enterprises, BEE 2 BEE business links, providing valuable information on market, production, value addition, different technologies, products and services in the apiculture sector, as well as showcasing products to the public.

Holding a bottle of mead is the Prime Minister of Uganda, Rt Hon Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, inspecting exhibition stalls during the Opening Ceremony of Honey Week

Photos © TUNADO

We were delighted that the Prime Minister of Uganda, Rt Hon Dr Ruhakana Rugunda opened Honey Week. He pledged Government commitment to provide an enabling environment, and we have been informed that Apiculture Policy is to be discussed by the Ministry of Agriculture Cabinet on 19 January 2019. During Honey Week the Prime Minister extended the contracts of nine companies exhibiting good business cases under Bee Diverse Matching Facility.

Thanks to Bees for Development enabling us to attend the UK National Honey Show, we used the knowledge gained to fit our Ugandan context, and this Honey Week presented a “hive of activities”.

TUNADO organised also the First Apiculture Congress on 27 and 28 August to provide a platform for scholars, scientists and stakeholders to share their findings on how to improve the sector. It was interesting to see scientists and beekeepers presenting their latest research and experience, and importantly, tackling issues of the environment and inclusion of people with disabilities in beekeeping programmes. The Actions of the Congress can be read at www.beesfordevelopment.org/resource-centre

In white overcoats bearing TUNADO logos, Honey Week judges at work (left to right) Ms Alice Kangave, Principal Entomologist, MAAIF; Mr Julius Peter Komakech, Principal Entomologist, Gulu District Local Government; Mr John Walugembe, Chairperson Federation for Young Entrepreneurs-Uganda; Mr Sam Karuhanga, Uganda Export Promotion Board

Winners

TUNADO awarded winners of the best apiary enterprise challenge. It took three months to select the winners. Participants competed at regional level under different categories: best beekeeper, best processor, and best equipment maker. There were four sub-categories under each category: male, female, youth and special needs – persons with disability and refugees.

A typical set up of a section of the exhibition space

Outcomes from National Honey Week

• Honey Week has become an advocacy tool for passing through high-level policy issues to policy makers, highly placed Government officials and development partners without being viewed as anti- Government or political.

• Honey Week has become a member recruitment ground for TUNADO. A good number of volunteers join after learning about the role TUNADO plays in organising and supporting the sector.

• Honey Week has become a platform for sealing business deals, contract exchange, networking and showcasing new developments in the sector and hence increasing members’ loyalty to TUNADO.

• TUNADO has become a must-support institution by development partners whenever they participate and appreciate TUNADO’s work. Large organisations are asking to work with TUNADO, for opinion or involvement in their activities, which is slowly bringing harmony in the sector. You should know how difficult it has been to reach this level where development partners start to pay some level of respect!

• Honey Week has become a Q&A platform including a feedback delivery mechanism. This has made it easy for TUNADO to pass on information to the public for seeing is believing.

• It is a repetition to say that National Honey Week has created TUNADO’s visibility!

The lady carrying a baby on her back, Ms Vickie Akwere of JJLLMA Holdings, attending to customers during Honey Week

What do we advise other developing countries?

Show your work, be organised: that way people will believe in you and support your actions. You too can organise honey shows!