From bee hunters to beekeepers
8 June 2004
It was all smiles for people of Makonde village in Limpopo when the government launched a bee conservation project in celebration of World Environment Day on 5 June.
Environmental Affairs and Tourism Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi launched the project to conserve the African bee in partnership with the Bee Foundation.
Mabudafhasi said the aim of the project was to create jobs for disadvantaged communities and to encourage black people to play an active role in the economic development of the country.
"Our people used to smoke out bees, and that resulted in the burning of the forests", Mabudafhasi said. "That's one of the reasons why the African indigenous bee is threatened with extinction. Our task now is to conserve this bee.
"The African bee is regarded as the most aggressive of bee species", Mabudafhasi said. "But it's also the most hardworking in the world. And its honey has a sweet natural taste."
This, and the role
bees play in pollinating the plants that supply South Africa's fruit industry, mean the insects have economic as well as environmental worth.
The country's bee industry is estimated to be worth almost R3-million.
Makonde village was chosen for the launch because of its rich vegetation, suitable for the survival of the bee population. The production of honey depends largely on areas where bees can get the necessary nectar, water and manpower to protect their hives.
For this reason, 14 people will be trained for bee farming and bee production around Makonde village.
Bee Foundation CEO Jean-Marie Jullienne said the foundation planned to help 100 000 people in rural areas set up their own beekeeping businesses over a three-year period.
"We tell the communities, 'Don't burn the bees. Don't torch them. Stop forest fires in the plantations. Look after the bees'", said Jullienne, whose company will be working with government to train new beekeepers.
The foundation will sell specially designed beehives - which come equipped with bee populations - to the villagers at a reduced rate of about R400 each; the market price for the hives is between R600 and R800. No specialised skills are needed to manage the hives.
When the honey is ready for harvesting, staff from the Bee Foundation will collect it - paying farmers just over R785 for every kilogram of honey. As each hive is expected to yield at least 20 kilograms of honey a year, the farmers can look forward to a gross annual income of about R16 350.
South Africa currently has up to 10 000 beekeepers, but Mabudafhasi believes there is room for an additional 10 000. "We don't produce enough - we import honey every year", Mabudafhasi said.
Julliene said South Africa produces only 2 000 tons of honey per annum. "We consume 3 000 tons per year, and to fill the gap we import 1 000 tons from China and Australia. Yet South Africa has the capacity to produce 100 000
tons of honey per year."
According to Julliene, bee farming has the advantage of being less capital-intensive than other agricultural activities, as it does not require large tracts of land, seed, fertiliser, or expensive machinery to till the soil and harvest crops. Honey production is also not dependent on weather conditions.
"We have millions of hives in the trees. We need to bring the bees from the wild into the boxes, and we have asked for the support of the forestry officials to do this", Jullienne said.
He added that people in Africa have traditionally been bee hunters, not beekeepers. "Our role is to make them beekeepers."
SouthAfrica.info reporter
| 
