Ashraf AboArfe
KSA and the world celebrate the Bee Day, which falls on May 20 under the slogan “The Participation of the Bees – Rebuilding Better for Bees”, as it sheds light on global cooperation and solidarity to confront the threats posed by the Corona pandemic (Covid-19) to food security and livelihoods. Besides giving priority to environmental regeneration and pollinator protection, it will be an occasion to raise awareness about how everyone can make a difference to support, restore and enhance the role of pollinators.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture is developing the sector of beekeeping, honey production and the profession of beekeeping, through a specialized administration for bees called beekeeping management and honey production, in addition to launching initiatives that contribute to spreading modern methods of beekeeping, raising the level of production efficiency, and improving quality in a way that leads to achieving returns Economical.
The Ministry has set a plan to develop the beekeeping sector and honey production, through which it aims to improve and protect the local breed of honey bees and preserve them, organize and develop bee systems and methods, develop and improve the production efficiency of queens, parcels and other bee products, develop and protect bee pastures and regulate their exploitation, and create investment opportunities through partnership With institutions, bodies, and competent authorities, and others.
This plan relies on a number of programs that contribute to its realization, including the program for improving and developing the local honey bee breed and protecting it, the infrastructure development program, raising and developing the efficiency of local content and capacity building, the program for organizing and developing and protecting bee pastures, the program for developing the bee industry, honey production and encouraging investment, and the program Development of extension services, agricultural and scientific research.
The Ministry’s role in developing beekeeping in the Kingdom comes through the establishment of training courses, workshops, lectures and seminars directed at the beekeepers in proportion to the needs and conditions of beekeepers in each region, and the implementation of the project of application of extension methods in the field of beekeeping and honey production in a number of areas of comparative advantage in The field of bees, establishing model indicative apiaries affiliated with the Ministry and securing their needs of beekeepers’ materials and tools in order to perform their indicative work, including introducing beekeepers to modern methods of beekeeping, as well as preparing scientific and technical content for extension programs related to beekeeping and providing public administrations, directorates and branches with them to spread them at the beekeeper level according The needs of each region.
The Ministry also provides advisory service for community beehives by specialized technicians in charge of field visits, introducing the beekeeper to modern methods of beekeeping, and training workers in the field of beekeeping through specialized training courses in bees held by agricultural training centers or workshops directed to technicians. Their competence to ensure the quality of the extension service expected to be provided to the beekeepers through them.
The Ministry is keen on the participation of institutions, bodies and competent authorities, to create investment opportunities, and transfer modern technologies for beekeepers to improve the quantity and quality of production, reduce costs and increase income while preserving the environment and natural resources, and support and encourage the establishment of cooperative societies for beekeepers, as the profession of honey bee breeding is one of the agricultural professions Which can be practiced by all, in addition to its role in providing new job opportunities for young people.
Bees play a major role in pollinating agricultural crops and increasing their productivity in quantity and quality. Beekeeping varies in the Kingdom through municipal hives, mountain breeding, and modern cells. Among the most famous types of honey in the Kingdom are Sidr honey and Acacia honey “Talh, Samar, and Dahian”, And clover honey, as locally produced honey has achieved advanced positions in international forums.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has also launched, as part of its electronic services for beekeepers and honey producers, an agricultural platform to keep pace with the digital transformation in its business, to facilitate the beneficiaries to implement their services in a record time, which contributes to raising the efficiency and quality of work and raising the percentage of digital services provided to beekeepers. With the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “FAO” to launch a project of beekeeping and honey production, indicating the investment and exploitation of natural resources and wealth in areas of comparative advantage.
It is noteworthy that the Kingdom produces more than 5,000 tons of honey annually, and the number of beehives exceeds one million denominations in the Kingdom.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “FAO” holds on May 20 of each year (World Bee Day), with the aim of highlighting the importance of traditional knowledge in the field of beekeeping and the use of derivative products and services and its importance in achieving sustainable development goals, and the importance of preserving bees and calling for action. Concrete actions to preserve and protect it.
