Beekeeping more critical to food security
LIKE any other sector, the Covid-19 outbreak has had a negative impact on beekeeping activities, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development said.
In marking World Bee Day on Wednesday, the department said it was important to acknowledge and recognise the role of the honeybee in the agricultural sector and its benefit to humanity.
A virtual engagement was held earlier in the day focusing on the impact of Covid-19 on the beekeeping sector and its role in supporting rural communities in improving food and nutrition during the crisis and beyond.
“The survival of the agricultural sector and humankind is dependent on honeybees through crop pollination.
“The drought experienced during past years and the veld fires in the Western Cape has significantly affected the availability of off-season bee forage and swarms harvested from nature.
“As we recognise the importance of bees, we remain resilient in our efforts to reserve and conserve bee forage to ensure beekeeping sustainability. The department would like to reaffirm that the value chain of beekeeping activities is critical for food security, economic growth and development, as well as job creation,” the department said.
“The Covid-19 outbreak has had a negative impact on beekeeping activities. However, considering the importance of bees to the agricultural sector, the level 4 regulations under the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002) provides for beekeeping activities to continue operations under strict conditions. The disruption of beekeeping activities, such as crop pollination services, may adversely affect the country’s food production targets and export markets,” the department added.
Bees and beekeepers supply a critical service to grower farmers, in particular, the fruit and seed sectors, they added.
“The Covid-19 outbreak occurred at a time that is critical to the success of fruit and seed industries for pollination services and key in the food security value chain. The department recognises the importance of bees, and therefore, allowed the movement of beehives during the lockdown period and for beekeepers to continue with beehive maintenance, which is critical and essential during this time of the year.”
Without bees, food security would be severely impacted and the country would not have any horticultural products to export, the department said.
“Let us all support the critical role of beekeepers in agricultural production, which includes commercial, developmental and small-scale.
“Globally, it has been recorded that crop yield will be severely affected without bees and there will be zero agricultural productivity leading to no food on our tables and no agricultural products to export. Without bees there is no life.”