By George Murage and Agatha Ngotho
The country’s honey production is under threat due to massive use of farm chemicals that has led to the death of bees.
According to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), most affected is Baringo County which incidentally is the leading producer of honey.
The crisis has been attributed to use of chemicals to control fall-army-worms that have ravaged thousands of acres under maize production.
But in the process, the chemicals have ended up killing not only the worms but also bees adversely affecting bee-keeping.
According to KARLO Director General Dr. Eliud Kireger, farmers had been advised to stop the use of chemicals in farm production.
He said that once the worm hit the country, farmers moved to using all forms of chemicals to control it leading to the death of the bees.
“Bees are very critical in cross-pollination but we have recorded cases of deaths in Baringo due to excess use of chemicals to control the fall-army-worm,” he said.
Kireger said that the country's annual honey production stands at 14,000 metric tonnes against a demand of 30,000 metric tonnes.
To bridge the gap, the researcher said that the country which had the potential of producing 100,000 metric tonnes was importing the product from Tanzania and Australia.
“The country earns Sh4.5 billion from honey every year and we have to import the deficit yet we have the ability to produce more if farmers are supported,” he said.
Speaking at KALRO farm in Naivasha during a farmers training, he attributed the low production to poor harvesting methods and use of traditional bee-hives.
He said the Ministry of agriculture is working on a policy to address the issue of standards which has affected the products sold in supermarkets.
“For years this sector that employs hundreds has been forgotten but we have embarked on a programme with the World Bank to train the farmers on value addition,” he said.
The director Api-culture Institute in Marigat Dr Remy Tueyi projected that the country’s annual production would hit 35,000 metric tonnes in five years.
He admitted that the use of chemicals by farmers to control other pests has impacted negatively in terms of honey production in various counties.
“The critical elements for honey production are the pollen and water and we are training farmers on modern bee-keeping methods so that honey production can increase,” he said.
