QALA-E-NAU (SW) – A number of beekeepers in Badghis say that due to the drought and lack of flowers, the production of honey in the province has decreased in the last two years.
38-year-old Mohammad Amin in Badghis, who has been beekeeping for more than eight years, says that the drought, the decrease in flowers and the increase in pests have caused a significant decrease in the production of honey from his beehives and other beekeepers in this province. He added: “This year my earnings are less, the annual income of which we used to get 10 kilograms, three to four kilograms of it is consumed by the bee every year. We want food, medicine, security and transportation, which are our costs. We request the government and domestic and foreign institutions to help and support us so that we can continue this job.”
Similarly, Shir Ahmad Qadri, another bee breeder in Badghis, says that his honey production has decreased by 50% in the last two years. He added: “I have been working in the beekeeping industry for seven or eight years. I have 15 honey boxes, four years ago I used to get eight to 10 kilograms of honey from each box. But in the last two years, when there was a drought, we did not get more than four to five kilograms from each box.”
Beekeepers in Badghis added that if the caretaker government and aid institutions do not pay attention to the beekeeping industry, this industry will face stagnation and the beekeepers will also suffer.
Officials in the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Badghis also say that the drought, the reduction of flowers and the increase of pests have caused the amount of honey production in the province to decrease in recent years.
Abdul Halim Halimzad, director of livestock and animal health, said that in order to support beekeepers, the department plans to distribute bee boxes and hold training programs to them in the future. He added: “In the future, we plan to distribute honey bee boxes and also conduct educational programs so that the level of awareness and knowledge of beekeepers increases and they can maintain their beekeeping in such conditions.”
It should be noted that in the past year due to drought and natural disasters, the amount of honey production has decreased in a number of other provinces.
ENDS
