Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The German development agency GIZ has supported 140 beekeepers in South Sudan’s Yei and Magwi counties with modern equipment and training aimed at boosting rural incomes and strengthening livelihoods.
The initiative, implemented under the Community-Driven Rural Development (CDRD) project, provided 280 Kenya Top Bar beehives along with beekeeping inputs and technical training to 105 men and 35 women.
Participants attended a three-day training between March 9 and April 1, where they learned modern hive management practices, including colony care, pest control, honey harvesting and post-harvest handling.
The program seeks to address long-standing challenges facing beekeeping in the region, including limited technical knowledge, lack of modern equipment and weak market access.
The training was delivered by Hagana Agro Processing, a Juba-based honey processing company, as part of a private sector partnership designed to improve productivity and connect farmers to markets. The company is expected to purchase honey directly from the trained beekeepers.
GIZ said the project will continue to support participants with business and marketing coaching in the coming months to help them build sustainable enterprises.
Local leaders and beneficiaries welcomed the initiative, saying it could significantly improve household incomes.
“With this training and the equipment provided, we are now better positioned to transition from traditional to modern beekeeping,” said Julius Lotare, a local chief in Labato Boma.
Beekeepers also expressed optimism, noting that traditional methods previously yielded low production.
The project is funded by German Development Cooperation, the European Union and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is implemented by GIZ and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation.
Officials say the initiative forms part of broader efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, strengthen food security and support economic growth in rural South Sudan.
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