By Valentine Oforo, Dodoma
THE Beekeeping Value Chain Support (BEVAC) Project has embarked on a robust initiative for the establishment of demonstration apiaries to serve as key podium centers for the rolling out of relevant knowledge to the stakeholders and experts involved in the country’s apiculture sector.
The timely development shelved to take shape from this month incorporates constructions of the vital beekeeping facilities within at least 15 districts of Tanzania Mainland as well as the 4 districts in Pemba island.
An apiary, also known as a bee yard, is a location where beehives of honey bees are kept, and usually, such areas are wall-less, roofed structure, similar to a gazebo which houses hives, or an enclosed structure with an opening that directs the flight path of the bees.
Giving an interview to this publication, Deogratius Kimena, the project’s Expert in Result Monitoring expressed that the initiative which seeks to further improve performance of the sector is being implemented by Enabel, the Belgian Development Agency through funds from the European Union (EU).
“Among others, the envisaged bee-yards are expected to play a meaningful role to help impart the districts beekeeping officers (DBOs), as well as the beekeepers in the beneficiary districts with the best recommended beekeeping practices,” he detailed.
Kimena named the 15 mainland districts in which the project is going to be implemented as Kakonko, Kibondo, Kasulu, Uvinza, Tanganyika, Nsimbo, Mlele, Sikonge, Uyui, Urambo, Kaliua, Kahama-Ushetu, Manyoni-Itigi, Ikungi and Singida.
He further informed that, apart from the project, BEVAC will this year run a number of campaigns to disseminate vital training to the majority of beekeepers to ensure high quality honey is produced which meet the set international market standards.
“For example, in Pemba island establishment of new beekeeping reserves is being prioritized in January with the initial stages including holding community meetings and meeting with leaders of hosting Shehias,” he added.
Together with that, Kimena expounded that plans are also afoot to organize an array of remote coaching of beekeeping SMEs on branding and packaging that continues to support them to access and meet international markets of bee products.
In more concerted efforts to spur the sector, the project is working in sync with the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources for Tanzania Mainland and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock in Zanzibar to establish new bee reserve areas in different regions with apiculture potential across the country.
The target, according to Kimena, is to ensure that at least a total of 53,527 hectares of forest land is conserved and officially recognized as a beekeeping reserve area.
Tanzania stands 14th country for beekeeping in the world and 2nd in Africa with most of the country's produced honey and beeswax often exported to Germany, France, Belgium and Netherlands, Oman, USA, Japan, Botswana, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Congo DRC, Somali and neighboring Kenya.
Moreover, relevant records depict that the country is currently producing over 138,000tons of honey and 9,200tons of beeswax per year.
Tanzania holds at least 48.1million hectares of forests, equivalent to 54 percent of the county’s area, whereby the government reserved forests area is 465 hectares, including 24 tree plantations,23 natural environmental conservation areas, and 20 beekeeping reserves.
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