News

BOTSWANA

We have established the Northern Beekeepers’ Association and Manyselok HB is our project.

The project apiary is located in Foley Siding, 40 km from Francistown where 80% of the village population of 475 are unemployed. We own 15 hives but only nine are usually colonised at any time and absconding of colonies is a big challenge to overcome. We are planning a workshop to encourage more people to take up beekeeping.

CAMEROON

Forty worried bee farmers convened at the Cameroon Cultural Centre in Buea in January to develop recommendations towards a national policy on bee farming. "I believe that you can have an impact," said Rural Women Development Centre Co-ordinator, Beatrice Lyonga, who organised the workshop to create awareness in the sector. The bee farmers formed the Southwest House of Bee Farmers, SOWEBEEH.

Among problems facing the bee farmers are difficulty in colonising hives, insufficient funds and equipment, inadequate marketing Skills and strategies, lack of collaboration from partners due to conflicting ideas combined with general ignorance about the sector. It was resolved that a policy be enacted based on needs to:

- provide training in beekeeping and marketing of bee products

- introduce law(s) to protect bees and uphold beekeeping for eco-system conservation

- enhance the environment for bees, human and livestock habitation

- include beekeeping in the school curriculum and involve youth in the sector

- institute a marketing structure and quality control.

Source: Azore Opiowww.thepostwebedition.com

MALAYSIA

Professor Madya Dr Nik Soriani Yaacob, Head of the Universiti Sains Malaysia's (USM) Department of Pathology reported that honey from Tualang trees has anti-cancer qualities and significant cytotoxic effect on cancer cells cultured in the lab. "Cancer cells treated with Tualang honey went through an apoptosis process where cancer cells die, a process that normally does not happen. Also Tualang honey can expedite the effect of tamoxifen that is used to kill cancer cells”, she said The research is in the early stages and more detailed study is necessary. Dr Nik Soriani presented a paper on The activities of Tualang honey as an anti-cancer Supplement at the 2nd International Conference on the Medicinal Use of Honey. This was organised by the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority that has subsequently provided USM with 1.3 tonnes of Tualang honey for use in future research.

Tualang honey is extracted from Apis dorsata nests on Tualang trees that grow to a height of 29 m. The trees are found in East Asian rainforests, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Palawan, north-east Sumatra and southern Thailand. Each tree can hold more than 100 nests. The bees are said to prefer the Tualang tree because the branches start at least 3 metres above the ground and the trunk is slippery, making it hard for honey-loving sun bears to climb.

Source: www.bernama.com.my

PAKISTAN

Jur Bus is 24 years old and has been married to Haji Samad Khan, who is blind, for 8 years. The couple have two children. Jur has been assisted by the Hashoo Foundation, which supports education and fights poverty through skill-building. Through the Foundation, she heard about the Empowerment through honey bee farming project, or Plan Bee, and the chance to train as a beekeeper.

The northern and Chitral regions of Pakistan are ideal for honey production. The project trains women, helping them to package honey for sale at a premium price, and linking them with lucrative markets, including top hotels. The Foundation buys honey on condition that the beekeepers send their children to good schools, have regular check-ups and improved nutrition. In the hope of raising more funds to expand into the international market, the Foundation entered World Challenge in 2008 and won prize money of US$20,000(€14,500)

The award has been used to buy tools, gloves and veils for the women, saving the beekeepers time, cutting workload and providing protection from bee stings. The rest of the fund was spent on selling the honey internationally and working to get the honey certified as organic and fair trade. The original aim was to train 50 women over two years, however the Foundation has already trained 316, expanding into other districts including, Nagar, Chitral and Ghizer, where Jur lives. The first group of 90 women now earn about US$1,500 (€1,090) a month and can afford to pay for their children’s education. Economic stability has risen in the region. Women feel more socially integrated thanks to the project and the gap in earnings between men and women has narrowed. Jur said: “At first I was fearful of working with bees but we were well trained and given equipment to protect us.”

The Hashoo Foundation is now looking into larger markets including Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Information sent to BfD by Julian Lush, UK.

Source: www.shell.com

DR CONGO

The Centre de Promotion de |’Apiculture et de l’Agriculture au Nord—Kivu (CEPANKI) was established in 2005. The Association has 26 members (22 men and 4 women) and is located in Kibati, 12 km from Goma in North Kivu. CEPANK! manages three sites in the territories of Masisi, Nyiragongo and Rutshuru and has a communal field experiment at Kibati. CEPANKI’s objective is to improve conditions for beekeepers in Kibati and North Kivu by increasing the production of bee products and sustaining the environment. We are seeking financial support. if you can assist please contact us c/o BFD.

Jean Kakule Musubao, Co-ordinator, CEPANKI

SRI LANKA

In Sri Lanka consumption of so-called ‘palm honey’* is greater than the consumption of honey. This is because palm honey is much cheaper and available throughout the country. Historically honey was collected by honey hunting but this method does not meet present demand, and Sri Lanka imports honey from several countries. Now we have programmes to increase honey production. All field extension staff in the Department of Agriculture (DoA) have been trained in the basics of beekeeping and can advise farmers on honey harvesting.

Most of the indigenous people Veddar or Wnaniya-la-etoe (forest dwellers) live in an areaknown as Dabana, 75 km from Peradeniya where our Agriculture Research Institute is located. Initially the people were hunters, now they live from agriculture and collect bee honey from the rest. The photograph was taken during beekeeping training for indigenous people and village school children in Dabana.

Asoka Palamakumbuta, Peradeniya

*Watery sap from palm trees is boiled down to a deep golden syrup called palm honey

NIGERIA

Members of the Ukehe Beekeepers’ Group have been trained and empowered with assistance from materials provided by Bees for Development Trust and | have developed a practical training manual. Picture: Christian Akpoke is on the left, the lady to the extreme right is group leader, Ms Anwurika.

Christian Akpoke, Ebony State

TURKEY

The Turkish Apiarists Union has implemented a project to form a ‘honey home’ in every city to make it easier to purchase high-quality honey. Hasan Yavuz, Chair of the Antalya Chamber of Apiarists Union, said that the Ministry of Agriculture has been introducing new systems to prevent artificial honey production. The Chamber has 1,125 members, owning 110,000 hives. The government grants financial help to producers with at least 30 hives. The incentive includes TRY6 (US$4; €2.9) for each hive, and aims to protect local producers who have difficulty standing up to large-scale industrial apiarists.

Yavuz Said that the market price for honey should be at least TRY20 (US$13.3; €9.6) per kg and people should question honey sold for less. Honey production in Turkey is not currently subject to serious supervision, however the honey homes project will create a control mechanism. Beekeepers who are members of the Union will also be members of the company founded within the project and can Sell their honey in the honey homes. Income will be distributed among the members. The project will bring advantages for consumers and honey packaging will include information detailing from which region the honey originates. The Union will guarantee that the honey is genuine, and in case of any complaint, will have authority to open an investigation.

Source www.hurriyetdailynews.com

TANZANIA

Honey Expo is a conference and exhibition of East African bee products. It is organised by the Tanzania Honey Council Limited (THCL) representing stakeholders from the public and private sectors working in the field of beekeeping. Member organisations include Belgium Technical Cooperation, Honey Care Africa Tanzania Ltd, the Ministry's Forestry & Beekeeping Division, National Honey Show Ltd, SIDO, Tanzania Gatsby Trust and Traceability-T Ltd. The 2009 Expo was held at Mnazi Mmoja grounds in Dar es Salaam from 20-25 October and attracted 500 participants. The Expo was opened by Prime Minister the Rt Hon Mizengo Pinda MP

The main objective of Honey Expo is to increase trade in Tanzanian bee products by addressing market access constraints, and supporting initiatives.

Specific objectives were:

1. To promote Tanzanian bee products in the domestic and international markets

2. To strive for sufficient supplies of quality and safe bee product

3. To address the barriers of beekeepers access to financial services

4. To address barriers to market access through good practices and conduct among members

5. To lobby and advocate for building of a competitive beekeeping sector in Tanzania

6. To come up with the Strategic Plan that will guide the development of beekeeping sub-sector in Tanzania

7. To facilitate networking among members and stakeholders.

In response to what he had seen and heard, the Prime Minister urged beekeepers and the Tanzania Honey Council to increase the production of honey and beeswax.

Cassian T Mumbi, Njiro Wildlife Research Centre, Arusha

H Msuya, Beekeeping Officer Extension, Forestry & Beekeeping Division, Dar es Salaam

An extended report is on the B/D website Information Portal

UGANDA

Twenty five participants attended the Transforming beekeeping into a business workshop organised by Nebbi District Beekeepers’ Association in March 2009. Practical demonstrations on hive making accompanied lectures on bee products, honey quality control! and marketing, and pests and diseases. Material supplied by Bees for Development Trust was distributed.