Page 25 - Vol.39-No.6

YEMENI HONEY

YEMENI HONEY: A TRANSCENDENT LEGACY

Yemeni honey has a history going far Sweet business
back into antiquity, tracing its origins to For Salem, making the most of his honey
the tenth century BCE and gaining global business involves a significant daily com-
fame for its quality. So not surprisingly, this mitment. He inspects his hives, observing
golden liquid is found in practically every bee movement and the amount of honey in
Yemeni home. It helps to sweeten many the hive. Other crucial elements to monitor
social events and is not only prized for its are the stock of pollen grains and nectar
nutritional and social qualities but also and the condition of the queen bees. By
regarded by Yemenis as having medicinal observing their activity, he can decide
value. It is the first thing a woman eats whether to transfer queens to different
after giving birth, while a patient usually hives to increase output. Confronting challenges
licks honey before visiting a doctor.
He must also juggle the responsibili- Not surprisingly, one overwhelming fac-
ties of being married with seven children tor influencing both supply and demand is
and a lifestyle, which like many Yemeni the conflict, with explosions decimating
beekeepers uphold, is partly nomadic. He many of Yemen’s beehives, especially at the
spends a portion of his time trucking his beginning of the violence in 2015. Many
hives around in search of the best bee of the obstacles faced by beekeepers, such
pastures and avoiding the worst of the as rough roads, are related to the conflict,
country’s harsh climate. Once he has found making the transportation of honey, bee-
a suitable spot, he sets up his hives away hives and pollen a challenge. Then there
from fields on which farmers have been are the additional challenges of poor rain-
But the production of Yemeni honey fall, pests including bee flies, bee-eaters
faces daunting challenges. In addition to the using pesticides. But he often enlists the and wasps and the weak state of the Sidr
help of villagers to ensure the safety of
damage done by the country’s long-run- his bees, turning the cultivation of honey trees, which provide a unique flavour to
ning conflict, honey producers like Salem into a "team effort." Yemen’s honey.
Al-Diwali must also grapple with the un-
predictable climate. In the dry season, pas- Salem has been able to grow his op- Despite these setbacks, the honey value
tures are depleted, and beekeepers must eration, though he admits it took a great chain plays a key role in food and nutrition
buy the pollen grains that are the main amount of effort. He says he greatly ben- security in Yemen and provides income for
source of nutrients for the bees. When the efited from the FAO training on how to an estimated 100 000 beekeepers in the
beekeepers cannot afford to meet the high extract raw wax and better monitor the country. There is also huge potential for
transport costs for these grains, hives are production of pollen and amber. further development. FAO and the World
sometimes abandoned. As one of the beneficiaries of SAPREP, Bank, under the Yemen Food Security
Response and Resilience Project, are en-
Although, at the age of 41, Salem has he received eight beehives, a water tank, couraging farmers to take beekeeping as
been keeping bees for more than 15 years a sorter to separate honey from wax and an alternative income generating activity.
in Abadan village in Shabwa Governorate, sheets of base wax on which bees can start
he has recently changed his approach, after building a honeycomb. This allowed him to
taking part in trainings under the Small- upgrade his hives and increase the total
holder Agricultural Production Restoration number to 30, translating into increased
and Enhancement Project (SAPREP) of the yields of honey and wax.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the Even so, Salem believes that despite
United Nations (FAO) and the World Bank. the position which honey holds in Yemenis’
The initiative is part of the World Bank's hearts, the lack of markets for it in the
broader Global Agriculture and Food Se- country does not reflect the high quality
curity Program. of the product. In fact, he keeps some of
The SAPREP has helped beekeepers the honey collected at home due to the
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across Yemen to increase their productivity stagnation of the local market. ADVERTISE IN
and nutrition through better beekeeping
THE ARAB WORLD
practices. These included more efficient THE ARAB WORLD
handling of the bees and techniques for
AGRIBUSINESS
extracting honey. AGRIBUSINESS
The initiative also provided participat-
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tools, allowing them to increase the quality PROMOTE YOUR
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and quantity of their production and earn
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more income to enhance their families’ food PRODUCTS
security.
Vol. 39 No. 6 23
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