JALALABAD (Pajhwok): This year, about 600 tonnes of honey was produced in bee farms across eastern Nangarhar province, officials said on Monday.
The annual honey production in the province was 500 tonnes last year but efforts were underway to increase yield level, officials added.
One of the apiarists said they needed to shift their bees seasonally to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan for better honey production.
Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Director Maulvi Mohammad Wali Mohsin said honey production was expected to surge to 600 tonnes the year.
Mohsin added there were over 600 bee farms in the province, generating thousands of employment opportunities for the people. He affirmed commitment to addressing apiarists’ problems and removing hurdles to the business.
According to Mohsin’s information, 500 tonnes of honey was produced in Nangarhar last year and efforts are ongoing to boost the yield.
Nangarhar Beekeepers Association officials confirmed the production of 500 tonnes of honey, which earned 150 million afghanis in revenue for bee farmers.
Riaz Ahmad Rodwal, head of the union said the honey produced in Nangarhar was supplied to markets in other provinces. But the honey has not yet found its way to global markets.
He hoped the favorable market for honey, security and development would have a positive impact on the business and help increase the production level.
One of the apiarists, Noorullah, said the current environment was favourable for apiculture because more orchards had been created in the province and they did not need to take their bee colonies to Pakistan or elsewhere.
To create ab enabling environment for beekeeping, thousands of acres of artificial ber forests had been grown in Nangarhar, an official said.
Canal Department spokesman Syed Humayun Gharibmal told Pajhwok about 24,000 ber trees had been planted to encourage bee farming.
Nangarhar is one of the agricultural provinces of the country with a hot climate and trees having green leaves most of the time. This makes the province a good place for apiculture.
aw/mud
