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Tariro Stacey Gatsi

THE Government is collaborating with beekeepers’ associations to push for the establishment of a national honey residue monitoring plan (NRMP) to bolster the country’s reputation as a producer of safe and sustainable honey products that can compete on the export markets.

Managing director for private concern, McJohnson Apiaries, Mr Ishmael Sithole said the importance of this monitoring plan extended beyond the domestic market as the country’s honey would increasingly be exported to international destinations.

“The NRMP will steer Zimbabwe’s economic well-being by placing it among the list of countries exporting honey. To attract the European Union (EU) market, a major consumer of honey from Africa, this has to be done at the national level,” said Mr Sithole.

The push for a NRMP reflects the determination and proactive nature of Zimbabwean bee farmers to position their honey as a premium product on the global stage.

In a recent X post (formerly Twitter), the National Trade Development and Promotion Organisation of Zimbabwe (ZimTrade) revealed that it was working with communities in Matabeleland North to produce certified honey capable of competing in regional and international markets, saying honey was a viable option to integrate rural communities into the mainstream export business.

Trade statistics from ZimTrade show that exports of honey worldwide grew by 25,7 percent from US$2, 3 billion to US$2, 89 billion between 2020 and 2021. Some of the top world importers of the product include Germany (US$365 million), United Kingdom (US$151 million) and France (US$125 million).

ZimTrade said: “The statistics above have revealed that natural honey is in high demand across the world and Zimbabwe already has farmers that are into honey production for local purposes. Through the honey cluster we integrate rural communities into the export business by empowering farmers through knowledge and skills training. By harnessing their skills, we are able to increase production volumes and tap into the world demand for honey.”

Apiculture is a small industry yetit  has so much potential to drive the economy towards poverty reduction, contribute to rural food security, resilience, employment creation and foreign currency earnings. The subsector offers a window for passive household income and a potential foreign currency earner when commercialised.

According to the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development statistics, there are 28 334 beekeepers across the country and Manicaland province (especially Chimanimani, Nyanga and Chipinge districts) has the bulk of the beekeepers and highest honey production records. Honey produced in 2022 amounted to 949 tonnes with an average of 10 kilogrammes honey per hive.

As this is a booming industry that can sustain a lot of people with honey being sold at local markets for US$6/kg to US$8/kg, the absence of financial support has crippled production as bees are not being registered as collateral livestock yet they have the potential to produce. The country can get increased earnings from its export with consumers within the African continent, for instance, Ethiopia pays US$15 for a 500-gramme bottle of honey.

For Zimbabwe to excel in exporting natural honey, it is important to modernise infrastructure and embrace up-to-date hives that have a longer shelf life than the traditional ones being used by some farmers.