News

NEPAL

First Honey Festival Many beekeeping projects are providing training and equipment for rural people in Nepal to help them improve their economic status. These efforts alone are not sufficient to raise living standards without proper market for bee products.

An event was needed to publicise sustainable beekeeping practices and honey production. A three-day Festival was held in September 1995 in Kathmandu. Technical support was provided by the Government's Beekeeping Section, and the Fair was organised by Himalayan Bee Concern. Financial support came from FAO, ICIMOD and IUCN.

The objectives were:

- To help provide better market possibilities for honey and other hive products, locally and for export.

- To provide information to beekeepers and consumers.

Forty-eight beekeepers from 12 districts brought honey and beeswax for sale. Honey was sold for Rs270 (USS5) per kilogram. ICIMOD showed beekeeping equipment and provided information. Other exhibitors sold beekeeping equipment, publications and other hive products. Talks were given about bees and how to care for them.

There were many activities over three days video demonstrations, quizzes, competitions and honey quality tests. There were children’s events including singing, dancing, poems about honeybees, and the crowning of Honey Prince and Princess.

The Festival was the first of its kind in Nepal. We declare it was great success. Beekeepers are very happy to have sold their honey for good price.

BORNEO

In West Kalimantan there is remote and unique wetland area which is the site of an ODA-funded tropical forest management programme uniting local communities, visitors, and experts in the care of very precious resource.

Bees thrive on a range of forest flowers, providing substantial quantities of honey for sale outside the reserve. Honey and the sale of other forest products have traditionally provided villagers in the 38 communities of the reserve with a reliable, sustainable income. Building on an established custom of “hukum adat”, which allows each village to govern its own resources, the forest management programme will encourage new ventures such as improved marketing and packaging of honey.

Source: British Overseas Development July 1995

BRAZIL

The new Brazilian Propolis Association aims to promote the production and trade of propolis and its by-products, for both domestic and international markets. The Association will:

- Help develop methods for collecting and processing propolis.

- Establish standards for quality control.

- Promote the sale and use of propolis.

- Introduce quality labelling.

The Brazilian Propolis Association is established by companies involved with the production and export of propolis and its by-products, duly registered with the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry or The Department of Foreign Commerce.

Beatriz Pamplona, Association Committee Member

INDIA

Century Foundation is new non-governmental and non-profit organisation working for sustainable natural resource management and rural development.

The major objective of the Trust is to promote awareness of beekeeping practice for various benefits in rural areas of Karnataka State, India, with other objectives like biodiversity studies, conservation of medicinal plants, and sustainable forest and agriculture development programmes.

For more information about Century Foundation activities you may contact Dr Sivaram or Dr Anita Menon, Century Foundation, India

TANZANIA

For the last three years Tabora Beekeepers’ Co-operative has had a poor harvest. In the 1995/96 season it was so bad that we were only able to collect 10,556 kg of honey - a quantity not enough to fill a container. We hope it will be good season this year so that we can supply our customers in Europe.

Justin Madaha, B&D's Correspondent in Tanzania