President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Pakistan produces premium quality organic honey and there is a need to adopt modern beekeeping and marketing techniques to boost yield and export.
Talking to a delegation of All Pakistan Beekeepers and Honey Dealers Association on Wednesday, the President said that owing to good quality standards, the country’s honey has the potential to hit international markets at large scale.
The President asked the Ministry of Commerce to devise an effective marketing strategy to brand and sell the honey, and expand the outreach of the produce to other countries. He emphasised on the training of people affiliated with beekeeping on modern lines to help them increase productivity.
The delegation apprised the President of the problems and challenges linked with the beekeeping sector.
It is pertinent to mention here that commercial beekeeping is fast becoming a thriving business in rural areas of the country. According to the All Pakistan Beekeepers Trade and Exporters Association, besides providing new job opportunities to thousands of men and women, the business is helping the country earn foreign exchange through exports, mainly to Middle Eastern countries.
Around $6 million in foreign exchange is earned annually through honey exports to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, said the association.
Pakistan currently produces around 7,500 metric tons of honey annually, with more than 8,000 beekeepers rearing exotic species in one million beehives, according to the government’s Honeybee Research Institute in Islamabad (HBRI).
In the financial year 2018-2019, Pakistan exported honey worth 966 million rupees ($5.8 million), about 260 million rupees more than the year before, according to the institute. Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the “Billion Tree Honey Initiative” in December last year with the aim of increasing honey production to 70,000 metric tons in a year. The government estimates the project will help generate around 43 billion rupees ($268 million) for the national economy and provide about 87,000 green jobs.
