TFS Establishes Meliponiculture Project In Arusha City To Bolster Tanzania’s Preps Towards Apimondia 

Tanzania has been picked to host the global beekeeping apex forum, Apimondia, the event which has been drafted to take shape from 20th to 25th September 2027 in Arusha City.

ARUSHA. THE Tanzania Forestry Services (TFS) has established a special Meliponiculture project in Arusha City as part to cement Tanzania’s preparedness to host the world’s leading beekeeping forum, Apimondia.

Meliponiculture, or stingless beekeeping, is the practice of keeping and managing stingless bees, a practice distinct from apiculture (keeping honeybees).

Mr Hussein Msuya, Assistant Commissioner – Beekeeping at the Tanzania Forestry Services (TFS) yesterday told the publication during an interview that TFS have also initiated a number of of the modern apiculture projects as part to prepare for the global beekeeping summit.

“We’re currently running a number of initiatives in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and other international stakeholders in the beekeeping sector to ensure Tanzania prepare, and benefiting effectively from the coming global apiculture event,” he noted.

The vision, according to him is to ensure the country make sober use of the international bee and honey gala to market local honey products, among others.

Mr Msuya said the other key focus is to improve the business environment of bee products to attract domestic and overseas investors, as part of a strategy to promote the bee industry and increase its contribution to the national economy.

“Apimondia 2027 is an important platform for Tanzania to advertise the quality of its honey, to strengthen the beekeeping market, and to promote investment in this important sector for environmental conservation and economic development,” he insisted.

According to the Deputy Chairperson of Tanzania Beekeeping Development Organization (TABEDO) Mr Kaizerege David Camara, the event is expected to bring into the country the world’s high- profile bee -farmers, honey processors, aggregators, api-scientists, international honey traders as well the relevant giant companies.

“The forum will bring into the country high technological facilities in beekeeping,  honey processing and others on the relevant value addition chain and thus, local api- traders and bee-farmers must prepare effectively to adopt the technologies,” he challenged.

He observed that most of local beekeepers are short of needed tools, including modern beehives , but also, they’re not assured for markets for their produce, and they also lack  monitoring system in the honey chain.

Earlier this year, the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Ambassador Pindi Chana challenged the financial institutions in the country to mull over start bankrolling the sector, including issuing capital loans towards the smallholder bee farmers. 

The minister said Tanzania has numerous prestigious potentials, but the involved stakeholders, especially the bee farmers are yet to use and benefiting from the endowment due to lack of financial muscles.

She assured that being the host country for Apimondia, the government has set to create an enabling environment to attract serious investment onto the sector.

Tanzania has been picked to host the global beekeeping apex forum, Apimondia, the event which has been drafted to take shape from 20th to 25th September 2027 in Arusha City.

Over 10,000 international beekeeping stakeholders from at least 133 countries across the globe are expecting to jett onto the country for participating in the event.

Tanzania won a slot to host the event because its beekeepers have perfected the art of honey harvesting, employing techniques that not only ensure a bountiful harvest but also prioritize the well-being of their industrious bees by having a gentle approach of ‘Smoke and Selective Hive Opening and Balancing Harvest and Bee Health’

Other reasons for this success is the ability of hive management, beekeeping training and education, beehive construction, cultivating harmony where beekeepers and conservationists are uniting for a greener Tanzania.

The event organized by the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations (APIMONDIA) aims at facilitating the exchange of information and discussions by organizing Congresses and Symposia where beekeepers, scientists, honey-traders, agents for development, technicians and legislators meet to listen, discuss and learn from one another.

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.

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Valentine Oforo

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