Africa-Press – Uganda. Beekeepers under their umbrella organization, The Uganda Apiculture Development Organisations(TUNADO) have asked government to reign in on the importation of honey into the country.
“Supermarkets are busy importing honey yet we have it here in plenty. Uganda has a lot of organic honey , better than what is imported from abroad , especially Europe. We ask government intervention to ban the importation so these supermarkets can buy from local farmers,”Dickson Biryomumaisho, the Executive Director for TUNADO, said on Friday.
He was speaking during the 14th National Honey Week -August 28- 31- in Kampala.
The Program Manager for TUNADO, Phiona Birungi said the importation of bee products, especially honey into the country creates an unfavourable competition with locally produced products.
“We need to find ways to support local beekeepers and protect them from unfair competition from imported honey,” Birungi said.
Other challenges
Birungi said that other challenges like use of pesticides by farmers affecting bee health, deforestation reducing bee forage areas impact the entire sector, from beekeepers to consumers, and even the broader agricultural industry that relies on pollination,” she said.
“Birungi added,”it affects when we don’t have bees, it affects all of us. The farmer, the honey consumer, even you who takes the taxes from the business people, it affects everyone. So it starts from the beekeepers, they should start planting because they are the ones who spray. Because they also grow crops. So they need a lot of sensitization to know which chemicals to use and when to use them. And if possible, find alternative means of dealing with the pests and rejuvenating their soils without using synthetic chemicals.”
She urged government on regulation of some of the imported harmful chemicals.
“The regulation is there; it is the implementation of the regulation. The rest goes back to us. Can we find alternatives? Can we plant more trees? Land is reducing, you cannot have wood lots or big forests, but someone can preserve a fruit tree in their compound or in their garden. They can plant trees for shade and bees will use that. So, if every family made it a deliberate effort at least to preserve five trees on their land, that would go a long way in safeguarding the bee population in Uganda.”
Speaking during the function, the state minister for Agriculture, Bright Rwamirama said whereas government cant outrightly ban importation of honey, this challenge can be addressed through improving on quality of the locally produced bee products.
“Why are they buying the imported honey and leave the locally produced one? That should be the question. I am told the imported one is cheaper but we need to find out why it is cheaper than ours. In my simple analysis, the problem is with quality. Improve the quality of your honey. Differentiate it from others. Make it look good for everyone to know and buy,” Rwamirama said.
“If I say, my honey is organic, the only way to disprove me is to prove there are chemicals in it. Make our supermarkets know our honey is organic without any harmful chemicals. Keep our standards and align the products with international standard requirements.”
The minister hailed TUNADO for the great milestones that the country has reached in production and export of honey, contributing to the country’s GDP.
He however said there is need to increase on the metric tons of honey that the country produces as well as what is exported.
“An estimated 50,000 metric tons of honey is exported earning approximately $155million. This is very good but we must increase it. I want to implore Ugandans to consume our locally produced honey because it is organic.”
The minister said government is ready to support beekeepers.
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