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Armenian Beekeepers Seek State Support As Dry Climate Affects Yield

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  • Armenian Beekeepers Seek State Support As Dry Climate Affects Yield

    ARMENIAN BEEKEEPERS SEEK STATE SUPPORT AS DRY CLIMATE AFFECTS YIELD

    11:19 * 30.09.14

    The dry climate of the past couple of years has seriously affected
    beekeeping industries, essentially reducing the volumes of production.

    Speaking to Tert.am, owners of several beekeeping businesses shared
    their concerns over the poor honey yield.

    "There was no honey the year before last; we had some last year but
    didn't export even a single kilogram of it to Europe, as our product
    falls short of meeting European standards," said Telman Nazaryan,
    the president of the Beekeepers' Association of Armenia.

    The total honey yield, according to him, is not expected to be more
    than 100 tons (in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh together).

    Nazaryan attributed the poor quantity to the unfavorable climate
    conditions. "This year we saw hails when we didn't expect even rain,
    and whenever we expected rain, we saw the sun shining etc. This year
    was turned out unlucky, and not favorable for honey," he noted.

    Nazaryan further cited a UN survey which revealed a 60% decrease in the
    number of bees in Europe and a further 70% decrease in Germany alone.

    "The number of bees drops annually by 20%-40% despite the states'
    best efforts to boost the sector. And because the things here are in a
    state of neglect, the number will increase instead of decreasing. The
    state policies in this direction are limited only to words, but that's
    absolutely no use," he added.

    As a possible solution, the association's president stressed the need
    of state investments. "We cannot do anything without money. We have
    territories which are very good for beekeeping, and we can produce
    eco-honey. All we need is a state support," he added.

    Nazaryan remembered that Armenian beekeepers had been earlier honored
    with medals in a conference in Kazakhstan. "Their state collaborates
    with the association of beekeepers. That's something very important,"
    he added.

    Asked why the honey quality falls below the export standards,
    Nazaryan said he thinks that it's because of beekeepers' failure
    or unwillingness to follow specified rules. "Europe requests a big
    quantity of honey. But it isn't possible to treat a bee with chemical
    substances and at the same time avoid an impact on the honey quality.

    It isn't as though we can cheat Europe. A beekeeper should not use
    a chemical substance to treat a bee," he said.

    Armen Nazaryan, a leading specialist of the association, agreed that
    beekeepers often fail to respect the established rules, choosing
    instead medications as a cheaper method of treating bees.

    As for the realization of honey, he said the inability to sell the
    product at once appears really problematic for beekeepers. "Their
    money doesn't come at once as they sell the honey in small quantities,"
    he noted.

    Asked whether the honey yield is enough at least to meet the domestic
    market demand, Nazaryan replied, "One person is theoretically supposed
    to consume 80-100 grams of honey per day; that makes up 36 kilograms
    in annual terms. So the question is, who produces so much honey for
    one person in Armenia?"

    The specialist proposed considering the medical advantages of
    beekeeping. "The question can be put on rails, as we do seriously
    have that potential in Armenia," he added.

    Ruslan Poghosyan, a beekeeper from Armenia's Syunik region, said that
    the summer drought period negatively affected bees' productivity. "I
    personally had 50 % less honey this year. And I hear the yield is
    even less in other places," he told our correspondent.

    He cited the problem of preventive drugs as a major concern in the
    sector. "We try to import drugs from abroad, as the drugs here are
    not effective at all," he noted.

    Another key problem in the area has to do with procurement, the
    specialist added. "There's nowhere one can go to hand over the
    product. And wherever they receive it, the money paid appears too
    little to cover the cost of our work," Poghosyan said.

    http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/09/30/honey-statesupport/




    From: A. Papazian
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