Honey traders for holding combined show

KARACHI: Honey traders, extractors and exhibition organizers have urged the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) to combine the Pakistan Honey and Dates Show with the Food, Agri and Livestock Asia, being organized from Sept 8 to 10 at the Karachi Expo Centre.

A spokesman for the traders said on Friday Pakistan honey and dates show was being organized from Sept 2 to 4 and it would be better to hold it in conjunction with the Food, Agri and Livestock Asia.

He said combined with food and agri show, the honey sector would get maximum exposure to the buyers and traders at the event.

Pakistan has attained self-sufficiency in honey production and now become able to export prime quality produce at competitive price in the open global markets, he added.

He said according to record, around 240,000 colonies of honeybee in all four provinces and Azad Kashmir were working with advanced technology.

He said the European bees were first introduced some 20 years ago and after consistent efforts now it has more than 150,000 colonies being managed by 11,000 beekeepers.

Virus cannot survive in the honey due to its quality to absorb water and a 100 grams of honey contains 303 calories, he said.

He said an increase in average yield of honey per colony has been registered from 4 kg to 21 kg while an increase in total production of honey in the country has increased from 250 tones to 2500 tones since 1982.

The best time for beekeeping is from October to November and the spring season, however, honey could be produced throughout the year by planting some special species of plants.

He said development of new bee management techniques, production and distribution of genetically superior honeybee queens are vital to achieve significant progress.

An official of Honeybee Research Institute said the institute provides training to the people in beekeeping through different courses arranged by it because inexperienced people squeeze the unripe beehives and extract honey mixed with bee parts, which could be hazardous for consumption.

“We are striving for promotion of use of honeybees for pollination of vegetables, seeds, fodder and fruit crops for higher yield and development of a low cost comb foundation locally to replace costly and imported metal sheets to the farmers”, he added. staff report

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