Bee Keeper Calls for More Support to Boost Industry
There is a need for more to be done to boast the honey industry. Running a bee farm for more than 10 years, Siraz Rasheed of Heleemi Apiary said there needs to be a collaborated effort of all the stakeholders, relevant authorities and donor agencies.
“I have seen a lot of assistance but it is not given to the right people, as a result this assistance goes down the drain and in fact has a negative effect of the beekeeping industry,” he said.
“I think when assistance is given proper vetting should be done of the recipients and monitoring should be done atleast for three years minimum to ensure that this assistance is being for productive and not sold for monetary gain.”
Importance of honey bees
Being a bee farmer, Mr Rasheed values the important role bees play the ecosystem.
He said bees contribute to the wellbeing of people whilst maintaining the mother earth’s life support system.
“If they die, our whole life chain will be vastly affected resulting in food storage, air quality and the economic to list a few. It also helps the economy of country.
“Bees are so important to our livelihood as they help to pollinate most of the crops we eat and many that feed farm livestock.
“I think, nearly two-thirds of Fiji’s agricultural production benefits from bee pollination. But bee populations are under threat.”
Destruction of their natural habitat, intensive farming practices, and pests and diseases such as AFB and varroa mites are just some of the reasons for the decline in both the number of bees.
Mr Rasheed said honey bees are the most widespread managed pollinator having coevolved with the food production systems.
Started out as hobby, Mr Rasheed now owns 400 beehives, giving him close to six tonnes of honey per harvest.
He comes from a family of honey farmers, however it wasn’t until he began to see the effects of climate change on his community, that he started his own Apiary.
He began in 2011 with the help of his wife and family,