Close to 20 local Bee Keepers met at the Fisheries Division last month to plan the next step forward for a more focused and progressive sub-sector in Agriculture.
According to a release from the Ministry of Agriculture, the beekeepers are managers in an untapped but highly lucrative industry that is making inroads on the local, regional and international markets due to their diligence and perseverance, making it possible for an almost extinct industry to be holding its own.
The renewed focus and energy directed at apiculture development commenced around 2006, when almost all the hives were wiped out by a parasitic pest.
After regrouping the beekeepers are now, from a dwindling number of less than 10, a 54 member strong group with a number of noteworthy accomplishments that includes; a newly registered and active association, recruitment for younger individuals into the industry and also an annual increase in the production of organic honey, from zero gallons in 2006 to 1748 gallons in 2012.
Some of the plans for the Beekeepers Association 2014 include; continued recruitment of new persons into the industry for sustainability of the industry and the increase in the production of honey, Expansion of the export trade regionally and internationally and the access to more affordable equipment and the possibility of using local material for hive construction.
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