Honey suppliers and bee farmers at the on-going 2018 ApiExpo Africa have appealed to the government to support and encourage improved technologies to promote bee farming in the country.
The farmers, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday, expressed regret over the tedious and difficult task of rearing bees especially the `queen bees’, using traditional methods.
Mr Kayode Ganiyu, a bee farmer from Osun, said that most bee farmers had little or no knowledge of the business and evolving technologies to aid modern practices in the business.
Ganiyu noted that the support and research from the government had become necessary to help farmers improve production and meet international standards.
He listed some other challenges faced by bee farmers to include theft of bee colonies and its derivatives, bush burning, lack of finance or credit facilities, poor policy formulation and implementation, to promote the farming.
“Some of us face a lot of challenges because we do not have the modern way or equipment for bee farming,’’ he said.
Alhaja Titilayo Asupoto, a retired civil servant and bee farmer from Ile-Ife, appealed to the government to assist bee farmers in getting subsidised beekeeping equipment and attractants to help them boost production.
Asupoto called on government agencies saddled with the responsibility of regulating tree felling to rise up to their duty, adding that the act was affecting their trade negatively.
“I and my husband are in the business of bee farming after our retirement. We were trained by some foreigners.
“The first challenge is that the government doesn’t support us. They don’t give us loans and secondly, when you have five beehives before you get one colonised, it will be a tug of war.
“People keep telling us that there are attractants but we haven’t seen them.
“Sometimes we use honey as attractant but before you get your hives colonised, it takes a lot of time.
“It shouldn’t be that way. The government should help us and get modern bee attractants.
“There are bees in the bush but when you put attractants, they will pick it and fly back. This doesn’t make us happy and it discourages us as bee farmers.
“The issue of theft is disturbing us so much and felling of trees where your hives get destroyed also,’’ she said.
Another bee farmer from Enugu State, Mr Edwin Egbo, appealed to the government at all levels to give incentives to bee farmers, to encourage more entrants into the business.
NAN reports that the 2018 ApiExpo is aimed at bridging the capacity gap in the industry, creating job opportunities and attracting investments in the bee industry, among others.
The ongoing exposition is being attended by 35 nations including African, European and Asian countries.
The event opened on Sept. 25 and will end on Saturday.
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