Maravi

HCZ attributes low honey output to poor flowering

HCZ attributes low honey output to poor flowering
By Fridah Zinyama
Tuesday June 17, 2008 [04:00]

THIS year's honey production has been affected due to poor flowering, Honey Council of Zambia (HCZ) coordinator Bill Kalaluka has said. In an interview, Kalaluka said the heavy rains that the country experienced this farming season had affected the flowering process, leading to a reduction in honey production.

“When the flowering process is not very good, production is normally affected,” he said.

Kalaluka said there was demand for organic honey on the international market but the honey sector in Zambia did not have the capability to meet that demand.
Earlier, Kalaluka said the locally produced honey was failing to compete with imported products because it was poorly packaged and lacked standardisation.

“The local honey producers have been facing the challenge to properly package their products. This has affected our sales and hence the need to improve the standards,” he said.
There has been growing demand for honey on the international market especially the organic kind that Zambia produces.
Kalaluka explained that a lot of honey had been going to waste because it was not well harvested and was poorly packaged.

“And even as we want to talk about penetrating the export market, we should first satisfy the local market which at the moment is not being supplied with high quality honey. The fact that imported honey from countries like South Africa and Germany is finding its way into the local market, simply indicates there is a big market for honey locally," he said.
And the cropping of organic honey in Kabompo district has been adversely affected by the invasion of caterpillars in the area.
The caterpillars that invaded the area early this year resulted in thousands of beehives being deserted by bees.

North-Western Beekeepers Association spokesperson, Timothy Kalubi, said the target which had been projected could not be met due to the invasion.

He observed that the cropping of honey, which began in May, started at a low pace though an estimated 6, 750 beekeepers were involved in the activity.

Kalubi said the low production of honey by beekeepers in the district would have severe effects on the household economy of local people particularly beekeepers and that the wax industry risked being affected too.

Labels: HCZ, HONEY

posted by MrK @ 3:37 AM