Importance of beekeeping and its challenges in Nigeria

Importance of Beekeeping

• Bee farming is a rewarding and enjoyable occupation which has many benefits to the bee farmers and the returns are high. It has more advantages over other farm enterprises.
• Bee farming requires little land which does not have to be fertile.
• Honey is a source of non-perishable food hence last longer.
• Capital needed to investment is very low compared to other farm enterprises.
• Beekeeping or bee farming is cheap and relatively not competitive to other Agricultural enterprises. It does not compete for scarce resources such as space.
• Labor required in bee farming is very low for activities such as inspections and harvesting.
• Many products can be obtained from bee farming which are great source of income. Examples of these products are honey, beeswax, pollen, bee venom, royal jelly, bee colonies, bee brood, queen bees, and package bees.
• Bee farming encourages environmental conservation since it does not cause any pollution and since bees require plant, there is a tendency to conserve cutting trees.
• Bees act as good pollinators of plants, trees, fruits and crops, thus playing a big role in bio-diversity and improvement of crop yields in our country.
• most hive products provide remedy for a number of ailments (Apitherapy) and can cure many disease.

Challenges Facing Production of Honey in Nigeria

• Lack of skills is a major challenge facing this sector. Most farmers in Nigeria lack adequate skills on managing bees and handling hive products.
• Also Inadequate training for both farmers and extension staff is also a challenge facing this sector.
• Limited   access to appropriate beekeeping equipment is among the challenges facing bee farming in Nigeria.
• Another challenge facing this sector is underdeveloped marketing system of hive products both locally and internationally. This can be due to problems of quality and marketing organizations.
• Lack of adequate and intense research on the existing beekeeping technologies, equipment, honey bee and product utilization is also a main challenge facing bee farming in Nigeria.
• Low prioritization of beekeeping in relation to other enterprises in the wider Agricultural sector has also been a problem facing this sector because they get less funds from the government.

For further information, contact ALAKE BEE FARM on ±2348033696345.