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Beekeeping tourism to be created in Azerbaijan

11 April 2019 [14:51] - TODAY.AZ

By Azernews


By Leman Mammadova

Azerbaijan eyes to create favorable conditions for the development of beekeeping tourism which allows visitors and guest of the country to get acquainted with rich beekeeping traditions.

Azerbaijan Beekeepers Association plans to implement a joint project with UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to establish beekeeping tourism in the country, the head of the Association Badraddin Hasratov told Report.

He noted that the European Union intends to provide financial support to the project to be implemented in summer.

"Within the framework of the project, it is planned to carry out a number of works on the basis of a beekeeping farm in Gakh region. The essence of beekeeping tourism is to create conditions for tourists so that they can follow the process of producing honey and other beekeeping products," he said.

The rich climate of subtropics, the riotous diversity of flora and the valuable qualities of local bees - these are the favorable natural conditions of Azerbaijan, which contributed to the maintenance of the centuries-old tradition of beekeeping in Transcaucasia.

During the excavation in the Azokh Cave, where one of the most ancient settlements of the primitive man was discovered, a bowl with the bee depicted on it was found, which once again proves that beekeeping has deep roots in Azerbaijan.

Honey is used in the treatment of many diseases in folk medicine as well as in our daily lives.

Currently, Azerbaijan is doing its best to contribute to the rehabilitation and further development of beekeeping by creating favorable conditions for beekeepers. 

There are about 600 species of honey plants in Azerbaijan, of which almost 200, as a source of nectar and pollen, create even greater natural opportunities for the expansion of beekeeping.

Presently, about 6,000 people are engaged in beekeeping in Azerbaijan.

Annual honey production in the republic is 3,000 tons, and honey consumption is 5,000 tons. Most of bee families are located in Zagatala (17,097), Astara (12,429), Gakh (9,125), Lerik (8,669) and Balakan (8,581).

New methods will be implemented to increase honey production in Azerbaijan. Productivity is expected to double as a result of the installation of mobile bee pavilions, which will be acquired for farmers in the framework of the “Project to strengthen the competitiveness of agriculture”. The use of new methods will result in 28 instead of 15 kilograms of honey from each hive.

In 2018, 3,000 tons of honey were produced in Azerbaijan. Moreover, 65-70 percent of the country's population is provided with honey produced in the country.

For this year, it is planned to increase production to 5,000 tons of honey, which is 66.7 percent more than last year.

The negotiations are underway with various countries to study the foreign market. The association is more focused on Arab countries such as the UAE, in particular Dubai and Kuwait.

Last year, Azerbaijan exported 8.3 tons of honey worth $ 71,500, which is 1.8 tons more than in the previous year. In particular, 96.4 percent of exported honey accounted for Japan.



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