The Beekeeping Value Chain Support Project (BEVAC) Manager, Mr. Martin Mgallaha gives the South African’s visitors a brief course on how best to keep and process honey products
By STAFF REPORTER, Tabora
SOUTH Africa is considering to start bringing their students to Tanzania to study on the best bee-farming practices at the Tabora –based Beekeeping Training Institute (BTI).
South Africa is currently producing 2,000 tonnes of honey a year and seeks to double its production to 4,00 this year while Tanzania produces over 32,000 tonnes annually.
The bilateral development in the apiculture sector has been revealed by the Beekeeping Training Institute (BTI)’s Principal, Mr. Daudi Semu shortly after having an audience with members of the special delegation from South African who paid a learning tour at the college.
A group of ten people from South Africa, including beekeeping experts and bee farmers, are in the country for a weeklong tour to acquire best bee-farming methods from their counterparts in Tanzania.
“We had a good session through which we managed to exchange ideas and key knowledge pertaining to beekeeping. They have been very impressed with what we’re actually training here to the tune that they’re mulling to bring their people to study here,” he informed.
Sello Nthoesane, a bee farmer from SA expressed to have been impressed with the sensitive manner to which Tanzania is advancing the beekeeping sector.
“We have so far learned a lot, and now look forward to cooperating closely with Tanzania in order to scale up our beekeeping performance,” Nthoesane expressed.
Being part of their study tour in the country, the visitors also got an opportunity of being imparted with the best recommended practices in keeping and processing honey products from the The Beekeeping Value Chain Support Project (BEVAC) Manager, Mr. Martin Mgallah and the Project’s National Program Coordinator, Ms Magdalena Raymond Muya.
Among others, the visitors have arrived in the country to learn about several aspects pertaining to the beekeeping sector, including production of apiaries as well as on how to prevent and control insect pests in beekeeping.
Tanzania stands 14th country for beekeeping in the world and 2nd in Africa with most of the country’s produced honey and beeswax often exported to Germany, France, Belgium and Netherlands, Oman, USA, Japan, Botswana, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Congo DRC, Somali and neighboring Kenya.
The Beekeeping Training Institute (BTI)’s Principal, Mr. Daudi Semu (right) with the head of the South Africa’s delegation in Tanzania.
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