Honey from the Pacific could become the next agricultural product to thrive in the region as participants from across the Pacific are learning to develop apiculture.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation and Fiji Beekeepers Association kicked off the first-ever FAO training on sustainable apiculture for Pacific beekeepers and government representatives.
Taking place in the Fijian towns of Nadi and Rakiraki, the six-day intensive course will feature theoretical and practical lessons and knowledge-sharing sessions for 12 participants coming from the Cook Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The course aims to develop the capacities of local beekeepers and government officers responsible for beekeeping activities in the Pacific, specifically targeting their needs and knowledge gaps.
The activities will also provide a solid basis for developing or updating the countries’ existing guidelines on beekeeping and apiculture.
“This training is especially important as the people in the South Pacific do not get this kind of exposure in beekeeping,” says Nilesh Kumar, the President of Fiji Beekeepers Association.
“Fiji has a lot of experience and knowledge to share with our neighbouring countries. We are convinced the activities will help them build the industry in their respective communities so they can become self-sufficient producing their own honey like Fiji does now.”
During the course, the participants will receive both theoretical and practical training on queen breeding honey harvesting and extraction, filtering and settling, hive and equipment, honey bottling, marketing, etc.
Norman Davies from Vanuatu plans on including the training findings in the course on beekeeping that he teaches at Vanuatu Agriculture College.
“Beekeeping was properly introduced to Vanuatu in 2016, so the industry is still new and fragile. We have some experience but we also have a lot to learn from our neighbouring Pacific countries,” he said.
The participants will also explore and share experiences in combatting the challenges to productive and sustainable beekeeping they face in their respective countries.
One of the important parts of the course will be focused on pests and diseases that might affect bees in the Pacific.
“We are very happy to kick start this first Pacific training on beekeeping that represents the core values of FAO’s capacity-building activities – south-south, practical and targeted knowledge sharing. We are sure this training will help the participating countries to improve the sustainability, productivity and profitability of apiculture”, said Ms Xiangjun Yao, FAO Subregional Coordinator for the Pacific Islands.
