Honey - Ethiopia
Honey
Ethiopia: The country belongs to the largest honey producers in Africa and is among the top ten worldwide (Import/Export of honey bee products) and due to bimodal rains, honey can be harvested at least twice a year. [1] [2] The annual honey production was estimated to 43,000 t/year with a potential honey production of about 550,000 t/year. [3] [4] [5] The potential annual honey production was estimated based on a nationwide modernization of the beesector (modern hive, increased number of hives/beekeeper, ...) Approximately, 95% of bee hives (hive types) in Ethiopia are traditional with low productivity. [4] According to Gemechis (2016) and MoARD (2007) traditional beehives produce around 5-8 kg honey [3] [6], while the average honey yield in modern hives ranges from 15-20 kg. [5] [7] According to FAO, the average amount of honey per hive over 24 years was 7.55 kg and therefore is in agreement with the prior mentioned observations. [8] 70-80% of produced honey is used for the production of tej (traditional beverage) and the remaining percentage is sold as table honey. [7] [9] [10] 10% of honey is consumed directly by the beekeeping households, while the rest is sold for gaining income. [6] One major quality problem is the high moisture level of honey. Samples from all over the country revealed moisture content between 15.25% and 30.45%. The outcome varies with the type of used hives (traditional hives have 1.5-3.0% higher moisture content than modern hives) and the sample region (highly humid areas are more affected). [6] Honey from traditional hives is sometimes a mixture of pollen, wax and honey, because it is not common among some Ethiopian beekeepers to separate the crude honey from other components. [10] [11] To the favoured storage materials for honey belong plastic bags, tins/barrels, plastic containers, clay/log pots and animal skin. [12] The leading honey and beeswax producing regions in Ethiopia include Oromia (41%), SNNPR (22%), Amara (21%) and Tigray (5%) (honey market value chain). [10]
According to FAO statistics (2018), the total volume of produced honey between the years of 1993 and 2004 increased constantly, but fluctuated afterwards: 24,000 t in 1993, 28,000 t in 1998, 40,900 t in 2004, and 42,000 t in 2008, 45,905 t in 2012, 0 t in 2013/2014 and 47,706 t in 2016. [8] As in the figure below, official data of FAO statistics (2018) also showed a honey production of 0 t in the years 2013 and 2014. [8]
The amount of produced honey per hive ranged between 6.86 kg in 1993 and 10.49 kg in 2006 with an average production of 7.55 kg/hive in the years 1993-2016 (figure below). [8]
References
- ↑ Adeday, G., Shiferaw, M., & Abebe, F. (2012). Prevalence of Bee Lice Braula coeca (Diptera: Braulidae) and Other Perceived Constraints to Honey Bee Production in Wukro Woreda, Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Global Veterinaria, 8(6), 631-635.
- ↑ MoA & ILRI (2013). Apiculture value chain vision and strategy for Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Ministry of Agriculture and International Livestock Research Institute.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 MoARD (2007). Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Livestock Development Master Plan Study. Phase I Report - Data Collection and Analysis, Volume N - Apiculture. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Negash, B., & Greiling, J. (2017). Quality Focused Apiculture Sector Value Chain Development in Ethiopia. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology A, 7(2), 107-116.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Taye, B., Desta, A., Girma, C., & Mekonen, W. T. (2016). Evaluation of transitional and modern hives for honey production in the Mid Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Bulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa, 64(1), 157–165.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Gemechis, L. Y. (2016). Honey Production and Marketing in Ethiopia. Agriculture And Biology Journal Of North America, 7(5), 248-253.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gidey, Y., & Mekonen, T. (2010). Participatory Technology and Constraints Assessment to Improve the Livelihood of Beekeepers in Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia. CNCS, 2(1), 76-92.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 FAO (2018). FAOSTAT database collections. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome. Access date: 23.04.2018. URL: http://faostat.fao.org
- ↑ Legesse, G. Y. (2014). Review of progress in Ethiopian honey production and marketing. Livestock Research for Rural Development 26(1), 1-6.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 SNV/Ethiopia (2005). Strategic intervention plan on honey & beeswax value-chains, snv support to business organizations and their access to markets (boam).
- ↑ Fichtl, R., & Adi, A. (1994). Honeybee Flora of Ethiopia. Margraf Verlag Germany.
- ↑ Awraris, G., S., Yemisrach, G., Dejen, A., Nuru, A., Gebeyehu, G., & Workneh, A. (2012). Honey production systems (Apis mellifera L.) in Kaffa, Sheka and Bench-Maji zones of Ethiopia. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, 4(19), 528-541.
