Garissa beekeepers get 90 hives to boost honey production

Members of Gumarey Honey Co-operative Society in Garissa received 90 beehives and honey harvesting tools from the Livestock Marketing Systems.

The donations included 90 langstroth beehives, honey centrifuge, 100kg stainless steel honey tank, 13 frame honey extractors an uncapping and decapping fork, stainless steel double sieve, a settling tank and 30 super boxes with nine frame comb starters.

Also, 25 beekeeping kits, each with a suit, smoker, hive tools, bee brush, gumboots, torch and knapsack bag.

The equipment was handed over by Abdullahi Dahir, the Business Development Specialist officer from LMS to the Sacco chairman Abdullahi Abdi at Masalani town in Garissa on Sunday.

County director for Livestock Services Haret Hambe was also present at the event. 

Dahir said LMS will continue to partner with the county government to support the alternative livelihood programmes.

He said they will also train and empower more pastoralist to become beekeepers.

Garissa county is accelerating plans to empower at least 15,000 farmers with beekeeping and honey harvesting equipment to boost production.

Hambe said Garissa has the potential of producing the best quality honey due to a conducive vegetation cover along the River Tana and Boni forest.

"Majority of the pastoralist communities affected by the vicious cycle of drought have adopted bee-keeping as an alternative source of livelihood. As a county we will continue empowering bee-keepers with the necessary tools and training,"  he said.

Hambe said youth and women should venture into bee keeping as it is a low cost undertaking with high economic returns.

“We want to encourage our people to embrace bee keeping because it is one of the cheapest ways of farming. Once you set up a colony, you may be able to harvest it regularly without putting in a lot of work,” he said.

The director said one hive can produce up to 25 kilogrammes of honey, three times a year, which when processed is equivalent to 18 to 20 kilogrammes of liquid honey.

Last month, world vision distributed 100 beehives and honey harvesting tools to various farmer groups in Masalani town.

Hambe however said non-governmental organisations interested in supporting the farmers should notify the county and subcounty steering committees to avoid duplication of activities.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)