Beekeeping industry, main pollinators of Africa’s crops – Bureau

Wed, Oct 3, 2018 | By publisher


Business

The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) says the beekeeping industry in Africa has made over 80 per cent contribution to the pollination of crops on the continent.

Dr Peter Ithondeka, an official of the bureau, said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the beekeeping industry contributed a lot to Africa’s economy via crops pollination, honey and beeswax production, among others, adding, however, that the input of beekeeping to the economy varied from one country to another.

“Global honey yield is estimated at 1.5 million tonnes annually, costing over 7 billion dollars.

“Although, the industry is still far behind its projection because the potential of the sector is frighteningly huge.

“This is because beekeeping is an important and strategic industry that generates food, employment, environmental conservation and diversification of exports, especially at this period of economic predicament facing most African countries.

“The value of the industry for now might not be obvious to the ordinary man on the street but we are getting there,’’ he added.

Ithondeka stressed that it was a known fact that agricultural growth and crop productivity largely depended on bee pollination services, which also had ecological and agricultural values.

“Apart from crop pollination, the beekeeping industry provides an income for beekeepers and their families, as well as an income for suppliers of beekeeping equipment.

“It also provides goods and services such as honey and wax as well as pollination services.

“The pollination industry is growing with experimentation in the commercial rearing of bumblebees and some solitary bee species for the provision of pollination services.

“Bees help communalities beyond pollination and honey production; it helps to prevent elephants from damaging crops in farms in Africa, while protecting the people as well,’’ he said.

Describing bee keeping as a lucrative business, Ithondeka, however, noted that some diseases affecting honey bees such as American and European Foulbrood had hindered honey production in Africa.

He added that the diseases included small hive beetle infestation and varroosis of honey bees.

He, however, said that good beehive management, capacity building and provision of education to beekeepers, as well as sound legislations and policies on bee and beehive products would go a long way to improve the health of bees.

Besides, Ithondeka said that the provision of quarantine measures, residue analyses, honey standards, export of beehive products and beekeeping protocols would also facilitate efforts to improve the health of bees.

He called on stakeholders in the beekeeping industry to report instances of bee disease to the World Organisation for Animal Health (Oie) and AU-IBAR.

He said that such reports would not only instigate the Multiple Sclerosis Centre (MS) to bar bee trade internally or internationally but would also open opportunities for assistance and transparency.

Ithondeka reiterated the importance of bees in the ecosystem, quoting Albert Einstein – one of the greatest scientists of the 20th Century– as saying that “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left’’.

“That, in essence, means no more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals and no more man,’’ he quipped. (NAN)

– Oct. 3, 2018 @ 14:45 GMT |

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