Honey produced in Ghana has the greatest potential to boost the growth of the local economy, according to the District Chief Executive of Kadjebi, Mr Wilson Agbanyo.
He made the comments during a special launch of the Community Apiaries project under the theme; ‘Make Ghana honey fit for export’, held in Pampawie in the Kadjebi District of the Oti Region.
Mr Wilson noted that apart from the huge nutritional value of honey, it could generate a lot of foreign exchange for the country if the international standard of its production is followed.
The event organized under the auspices of Volta Region Association of Beekeepers with support from Quality Services International GMbH, Germany(QSI) was aimed at making honey produced in Ghana fit for premium grade assurance for both local use and export.
He noted that there are other enormous benefits derived from honey in drugs production in the pharmaceutical industry.
Mr Wilson, however, appealed to the young ones especially the unemployed to develop a keen interest in the bee-keeping business and take advantage of any future opportunity to get enrolled in the business.
He also urged the traditional authorities to release farm lands to facilitate and promote the bee- keeping business.
Chief Executive of the Volta Region Association of Beekeepers (VoRAB), Mr. Devine Oquaye Odonkor, noted that there have been plans to have the bee-keeping business domesticated, confined and controlled as Ghana’s policy agenda since the 1960s.
With this concept of ‘Make Ghana honey fit for export’ project, there would be vigilance at community level on production and processing to ensure that no contaminated or intentionally adulterated honey finds its way out of the communities onto our local and international markets,” Mr Divine Oquaye Odonkor said.
He noted that bee-keepers work under numerous challenges to ensure that there is quality and sufficient honey at all times.
He noted that the quest is to have as many as possible self-motivated and dedicated entrepreneurs in the bee-keeping value chain to produce quality honey in the country that would meet international standard.
The government therefore was committed to collaborate with the Rural Enterprise Programme (REP) through the Business Advisory Centre (BAC) of the Assembly to train and support interested youth with start-up kits to engage in bee-keeping in the District.
Nana Gyataba Atiemo Darko, Tufuhene of Amanta State and Okrakrom chief who chaired the function thanked the organizers for launching the programme at Pampawie assuring them of their full support in making bee-keeping in the area very lucrative.
Manager of the Volta Regional Forestry Commission, Torde Gershom Amaglo, called on the youth to eschew their mindset that that the bee-keeping business is not lucrative, adding that if they adhere to the standards they can make a lot of money.
In his remarks, Mr Arne Dubecke, Head of Project, Quality Services International GmbH, Germany, assured that he would continue to partner VoRAB and other stakeholders in making sure that honey produced in Ghana meets international standard.
