MM SMARTFARM Grills Bee-Stakeholders With Key Commercial Beekeeping Skills -

Some of the bee- stakeholders who participated in the special training organized by MM SMARTFARM through the Biharamulo Shamba la Nyuki seen during the training held over the weekend in Kagera region.

By Senior Reporter VALENTINE OFORO

MM SMARTFARM, a youth led agribusiness institution, has conducted a comprehensive practical- based workshop to impart the bee farmers and stakeholders with needed skill on commercial beekeeping.

Held in Kagera region for three consecutive days, the vital training rolled out through Shamba la Nyuki Biharamulo, attracted at least 17 participants from different areas across the country.

The areas include Biharamulo, Mwanza, Kigoma, Moshi, Kyerwa, Bukoba and Dar es salaam.

Speaking during the crucial initiative, Mr Mbelwa Petro, the apiculture mogul from Shamba la Nyuki Biharamulo expressed that the training was gearing to impart the participants with the practical understanding on initiating and managing commercial bee keeping projects.

“This training also focus to inject the participants with the necessary practical skills on better ways to harvest bee venom, bee collected pollens, bee propolis, bee soup, bee honey, bee wax and royal jelly in a way that fits both internal and international market standards,” he unveiled

He added, among others the training was for creating a potential podium to have the involved participants linked to both, internal and international bee products markets.

Giving further details, Mr Petro observed that the training was basing focus on a series of useful apiculture topics, such as bee biology, development of diverse bee hives as well as establishment and monitoring of apiaries.

Others topics, according to him, was bee harvesting, processing, packaging and marketing.

” We have also capacitated them on how professionally to process and package different honey- related products, including waxes, glue, bee- milk, bee soup, and bee venom,” he added.

Generally, he said the timely training was gearing to equip the targeted bee- stakeholders with the wider skills and knowledge over the apiculture sub- sector, being with an eye to assist them heightening production and productivity.

“We remain optimistic that the beneficiaries of the training will use the vital knowledge and skills they have acquire to assist their counterparts in their respective areas,” he said.

Talking about the company, MM SMARTFARM, he said it was working to improve eco-economic wellbeing of Tanzania’s community through initiating sustainable bee keeping projects.

The company, according to him, commenced as a social enterprise commonly known as Shamba la Nyuki Biharamulo in 2018 at Biharamulo district, Kagera region in north western Tanzania, whereby in 2022 the farm got registered under the Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA) and Tanzania Forest Services (TFS).

“The farm has been championing in harvesting and selling seven bee products namely bee honey, bee wax, bee propolis, bee soup, bee pollen, royal jelly and bee venom,”

“Our desirable purpose being to promote beekeeping among the youth and women through the dissemination of knowledge via the educational centers, training and workshops, and outreach,” he detailed.

Furthermore, he said the initiative seeks to offer an opportunity to young people by facilitating value addition and marketing for their agri – bee products.

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 country holds at least 48.1million hectares of forests, equivalent to 54 percent of the county’s area, whereby the government reserved forests area is 465 hectares, including 24 tree plantations,23 natural environmental conservation areas, and 20 beekeeping reserves.