National President, Fed
eration of Bee Keepers Association of Nigeria, Mr Ojeleye Bidemi, said beekeeping industry had contributed more than 20 million dollars to the economy.
Bidemi told the newsmen in Abuja that the industry had contributed more than 75 per cent as pollinators of the country’s crops.
“Presently, the industry contributes a quantum of more than 20 million dollars to the economy through crop pollination, production of honey, beeswax, and other beehive products,’’ he said.
Global honey yield is estimated at 1.4 million tonnes annually, costing about 7 billion dollars.
Bidemi said although the industry was still far behind its projection in that the potential of the sector was frighteningly huge.
“I said it because it’s an important and strategic industry that generates food, employment, environmental conservation and diversification of exports especially at this period of the nation’s economic predicament,’’ he said.
Bidemi said that for now the value of the industry might not be obvious to an ordinary man on the street.
According to him, it is a known fact that agricultural growth and crop productivity largely depend on bee pollination services that have ecological and agricultural value.
He commended the government for the immense support given to apiculture in Nigeria and some development organisations.
Bidemi said in an effort to curb adulteration, the association, minintries, departments and development agencies were collaborating to train the stakeholders.
He said the Federal Ministry of Agriculture had inaugurated an Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee on bee health and pollination to prepare beekeeping policy in Nigeria.
On penalising people for adulteration, Bidemi said it would be an act of injustice to prosecute any person when many things were still not in place to back up the legal process.
“But before the year runs out we would have achieved about 75 per cent of it when Nigeria Beekeeping Policy will be ready, coupled with the ongoing professional training for bee farmers,’’ he said.
Bidemi said there had been many other training programmes with Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on honey standard and Nigeria Export Promotion Council on honey residue plan for EU standard.
“So far, we are presently having good time working relationship with Federal government and on course,’’ Bidemi said.