Bahraini farmers pin hope on honey trade
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Staff Reporter
‘Made in Bahrain’ honey is fast becoming a brand by itself with over a hundred Bahraini farmers maintaining hundreds of bee colonies in their apiaries.
The growing demand for natural honey is serving as an impetus to these farmers, who challenge difficult weather conditions to thrive in apiculture.
Bees are also important for growing fruits and vegetables and it has great significance in reducing the farmers’ dependence on pesticides and other chemicals.
“Beekeeping is not an easy task. Great interest and patience are essentials for honey farming,” said Salah Ahmed Musameh of Danyah Nursery, which occupies a stall at the Farmers’ Market being held on Saturdays at Budaiya Botanical Garden.
Salah said his honey business has been growing over the past few years with increasing demand from across Bahrain.
“I never faced any problem in marketing my products as the demand is quite high for natural honey.”
“Most of the farmers buy hive boxes and bees from Egypt although there are direct suppliers in Bahrain. One hive box costs nearly BD60.
They have to be kept in shaded areas, especially during summer to protect bees.
Efforts also must be made to secure bees from ants and other insects,” Salah said.
Extracting honey is definitely a skilled task and any shortcoming would directly increase the number of stings a farmer would receive.
“Firstly, the bees are sent out using smoke and wax seals on the honeycomb are removed to let the honey flow.
There are many ways to remove honey from the hive.
And the easiest is to squeeze the comb in a colander.
Other than honey, royal jelly is believed to have some medical benefits while beeswax is used in the manufacturing of cosmetics, lip balm and candles.
Juma Hamadan from Barbar, near Diraz, is a second-generation honey farmer.
“I learnt this from my father, who has done beekeeping for many decades.
If you are good at it, you can grow financially with beekeeping although there are many challenges.
To me, it is a personal responsibility as honey bees are becoming extinct in this country.”
Juma said a honey farmer has to be always vigilant as there are many parasites and insects that could kill and destroy bee colonies in no time.
Juma’s nephew Ali Shaalan is a new entrant in the world of beekeeping.
The 24-year-old is all set to become a third-generation honey farmer in the family.
“I am now learning it from my uncle.
Beekeeping is something which falls into our family tradition and I want to take it forward,” Ali told The Daily Tribune.
‘Made in Bahrain’ honey generally costs BD15 for 500 milligrams though the price varies according to various products.
The ninth edition of Budaiya Farmers’ Market, which opened last month, is being held under the theme “Our food…Our health”.
The market displays the agricultural produce (including all kinds of fruits and vegetables) of 37 farmers and four farming companies.
It will open from 07:00 to 13:00 every Saturday, until March 27, 2022.
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