Why Nigeria cannot export honey to EU –NEPC

The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) says non adherence to safety and hygienic requirement are the major challenges militating against the export of Nigeria’s honey to the European Union (EU) market.

The council also said another challenge was the low production of honey in the country.

NEPC’s Zonal Controller in charge of Makurdi Zonal office, Anani Ben-Egon, said this in Makurdi at a one-day Export Sensitization and Capacity Building seminar organised in conjunction with the Benue State Bee Keepers Association.

Egon noted that the global honey trade was worth $240 billion with China leading other exporters with 11.3 percent of global export of natural honey in 2017 worth $270.7 million.

He said the continuous engagement with product/industry associations, farmers groups and other relevant stakeholders would enhance the production of honey in the country that would be suitable for export to EU market.

The zonal controller further explained that the Apiculture value chain export development program was in line with the initiative of the Nigerian Apiculture platform with the objective of fostering development of the sector.

The State Coordinator of National Committee on Export Promotion and Benue Exporters Cluster, Dr. Lawrence Barki, thanked to NEPC for providing knowledge to the bee farmers on how they can produce quality honey that would be needed in Europe.

In his paper presentation on the topic “Development of Secondary Raw materials for Bee Combs (Wax), the country representative of Koster Keunen, Mohammed Bala, stressed that Bee wax hold numerous significance as it can be used in both cosmetics and medical industries.

Bala emphasised that honey was a big commodity in the European market and urged the farmers to tap into it by cultivating the habit of farming bees at all times.