News

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanaid has set up a pilot beekeeping project in Badakhshan.

People in this area prize honey, there is wide range of plants and fruit trees for forage, and wood for hives is available locally. Not only will families boost their incomes but increased pollination will mean better fruit harvests.

Twenty five hives were bought in from Pakistan and transported to Badakshan before the winter of 1992. Of these, four colonies did not survive the winter.

Several women who were previously employed in the Ministry of Agriculture have expressed keen interest in the project: they will be trained by Afghanaid in beekeeping techniques enabling them to train the women in the 21 families who will receive the hives.

Source: Jahrchi (News from Afghanaid), July 1993.

ETHIOPIA

Training

The Holeta Bee Research and Training Centre offered practical beekeeping course for 20 women farmers from 8-18 March 1993. Such course is the first of its kind in Ethiopia and was organised by the Southern Ethiopian Peasant Development Aid in collaboration with the German Development Service in Ethiopia.

Holeta Bee Research Training Centre, Holeta, Ethiopia.

GHANA

Sweet victory

In September 1992 the Netherlands Embassy gave the Sunyani ITTU a 3 million Cedi grant to support beekeeping in Berekum, Kintampo and Techiman districts. The project involves the production of 120 bee hives, smokers, protective clothing and honey extractors. The project is expected to give a boost to beekeeping in the region which is widely recognised as potential leading honey production area.

Source GRATIS News Edition 20 1993.

LIBYA

Beekeeping in Libya is a hobby more than it is a job. Most beekeepers have 10-20 hives and rely on transportation of their apiaries depending on nectar flow. Today in Libya there are 3000 beekeepers who harvest 500 tonnes of honey per year from 50,000 hives (an rage of 15 kg per colony). The number of hives is increasing by 20% every year.

Production of high quality honey exceeds consumption. The most importation honeys come from thyme and nabk. Honey is expensive: from 18-308 per kilo.

The Department of Development and Modernisation of Beekeeping is attached to the Ministry of Agriculture. This department gives assistance in management of bees including the manufacture of hives and the exportation of honey, training and queen rearing centres.

Varroa was introduced to Libya in 1975 when 5000 colonies were imported from Bulgaria to support agricultural development. Varroa is treated with Apistan and Apitol. American and European Foulbrood, and chalkbrood were brought into the country at the same time as varroa. Foulbrood is controlled by burning the infected hives.

Source: Rashid Yazbek.

SUDAN

The Sudanese Beekeeping Society was founded in 1990. It is a voluntary society open to all Sudanese who are interested in beekeeping. There are currently 118 registered members, all with differing expertise in beekeeping and all have attended training courses.

The Society aims to establish a beekeeping industry based on sustainable beekeeping. To do this the Society is distributing a newsletter and conducting lectures and training programmes; liaising with local NGOs; conducting trials in conjunction with research institutes to study Sudanese bees, and create appropriate techniques for beekeeping in Sudan.

Source: Sudanese Beekeeping Society.