15th December, 2022
By Victor Nwachukwu
Apiculturists in Imo have called on Nigerians to embrace honeybee production to enable the country to meet its increasing local and export demands for honey.
President of the Bee Keepers Association in Imo, Mr Emmanuel Ubeh, made the call at a workshop on prospects of modern beekeeping technology, organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), in Owerri, on Thursday.
Ubeh, a professional apiculturist, noted that the low volume of production of honey was hampering exportation of the product as the country had yet to meet local demands.
Speaking on the theme: “Exploring the potentials of Honey Value Chain for Export”, Ubeh said that with an annual consumption of over 400,000 tonnes, Nigeria could save over US$ 3 billion expended on the importation of honey, with holistic investment in bee farming.
He also said that in addition to money making from the sale of honey, bee farming had the potential to create jobs for tailors who make beekeeper suits and carpenters who make hives.
According to him, some agricultural activities require pollination of plants by bees, hence the need for increased investment in bee farming.
“We can barely meet 10 per cent of local demands, let alone our export demands. A bee farm can be started with about N30,000, so we encourage Nigerians to venture into this enterprise,” he said.
Speaking, another beekeeper, Mr Kingsley Nwaogu, said that apiculturists are grappling with the challenge of bad roads affecting the mobility of bee colonies and resulting in breakages of the honeycomb when they are transported from place to place.
He called on the Government to ensure a sustainable honeybee supply chain by addressing production challenges and enlisting beekeeping in agricultural enterprises for economic emancipation and biodiversity.