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Stanely Mushava Features Writer
What do China, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Zambia, Egypt, United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Malawi have in common? Answer: Zimbabwe imports honey from all those countries to make up the deficit between local production and demand. According to Zimstas 2014 figures quoted in a paper presented at APIEXPO Africa 2014 in Harare (available on www.apitradeafrica.org), Zimbabwe produces 427 105kg of honey per annum against a demand of 446 633 necessitating an average annual import requirement 0f 19 528kg over the past four years.

Yet the same paper says Zimbabweans have a rich honey harvesting history. “Apiculture in Zimbabwe started as far back as the 18th Century. Evidence of bee-keeping is shown by rock paintings in the Matopo Hills. Honey used to be harvested from caves, cliffs, hollows of trees and the ground.”

Information from Agritex for 2014 shows that apiculture is widespread in the country with over 85 000 registered hives, with Midlands province being the main hub with over 40 000 hives. So where are we missing the sweetness and ending up with the sting?

Godfrey Darangonga (30) and his team of 11 making up Youth in Sustainable Development of Natural Resources (YSUNR) say they are determined to play their part in closing the gap and help the country meet the Zim-Asset target of an annual production of 500 000 litres of honey by 2018.

Darangonga says as in most other production fields, the biggest problem is the failure to keep up with proven best practices. “I have translated several books on apiculture to Shona to demystify bees as much as possible for local communities,” he added. YSUNR vice chairperson Godfrey Tinotenda Mutatapasi said the apiculture industry has potential to be a an employer of note.

“We started the venture as environmental students at Bindura University of Science Education but the idea was never to confine ourselves to the campus for the duration of our programmes. “The idea is that we must create employment for ourselves and others instead of just hanging certificates on the wall after graduation, with nowhere to report for work,” he said.

Beyond making bee initiates book-smart, the group practically demonstrates bee-keeping fundamentals during their workshops. They are currently conducting a series of such workshops in Harare. The group’s flagship occupation is perhaps making hives for farmers to enhance volumes. “We make the Kenya Top Bar (KTB) hive as it guarantees the maximum harvest, but given that a farmer chooses an alternative it is important to stick with that one particular choice.

“Such consistency is required because at some stage, the bee-keeper is likely to extend their bee-keeping to more than one hive, in which case they must be able to interchange the various parts.” According to apitradeafrica.org, for each harvest period a traditional hive yields an average 12kg against the KTB’s 15kg. But they are both seriously outclassed by the Langstroth hives that achieve a phenomenal 22,5kg but costs $200 per unit compared to the traditional hives that can be made at minimum cost with scrap materials.

YSUNR is determined to tap into the existing extensive apiculture network in the country and help bee-keepers overhaul their operations into profitability. They are also actively encouraging new players especially fellow youths to consider the field as a viable and desirable career option.

Over the past year, the group has deployed outreach teams in Nyanga, Chivhu, Mutare, Mazowe, Bindura and Harare to encourage the adoption and enhance the scale of bee-keeping in Zimbabwe.

According to the paper presented at the APIEXPO 2014, challenges bedevilling the industry include low hive occupancy rates, low prices, limited market intelligence and inadequate institutional support. Dwindling global bee banks are also an added complication that is affecting Zimbabwe. Dangaronga said his group has trained more than 1 000 bee-keepers so far to maximise productivity and to maintain a workflow which is both health-conscious and environment-friendly.

“We run a major bee project in Mazowe as a model for the new bee-keepers, we are raising more in several provinces,” Dongaronga said. The group is involved in value addition (beneficiation, in Zim-Asset lingo) to fetch the highest possible revenue from their honey. Beneficiated products include blends such as chilli-honey, lemonade-honey and butter-honey.

They also help the communities they train find markets through supplying honey to clinics, hotels, schools and pharmacies, with plans underway to engage international consumers, chiefly in Russia. Another important consideration for “Zvibaba zvenyuchi” (colloquial term for the bee-keepers) is finding bee banks.

“The main option is to obtain them from a specialist supplier who can send them by mail order in a small nucleus hive. In all cases, basic beekeeping training from an apiculturist is an indispensable condition,” Mutatapasi added. He said ignorance may lead to compromised taste and disaster for the whole venture:

“Burning toxic trees such as mukonde to smoke out the bees will cause stomach pains for the consumers, while fabrics and cotton lint emit poisonous substances which will kill the bees. Mutatapasi said prospective bee-keepers must find a local bee-keeping association in their area who may be able to supply them with small starter colonies.

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