In marking World Bee Day, Kajiado County in partnership with Worldwide Fund Kenya (WWF-Kenya) has launched a bee keeping strategic plan and cooperatives that will benefit bee farmers in terms of education, trainings, funding and production of quality honey for export.
Livestock Development Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke has said bee keeping contributes significantly to the country’s economy as one of the interventions of Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and as a government they are working on ways in which honey can be exported.
“We have taken some policy issues as government, right now we found that we cannot export our honey because we did not have a residue management plan, we have completed the management plan, we are working with stakeholders to validate it so as we can be able to export our honey to Europe and other parts of the world. We are going to have the apiculture regulations that will ensure we have quality products that are making it to the market and policies that protect our farmers to make their products get a fair value in the market,” revealed Mueke.
In a speech read by the Kajiado CEC for Agriculture and Livestock Dr. Jacktone Achola the PS said honey production will contribute in achieving food security.
“Our focus is the contribution of bees to mankind and food security and other essential ecosystem services that are essential for the survival of mankind. The county has partnered with WWF to develop Kajiado bee keeping strategy launched. We urge the partners to come on board as we seek to make bee keeping a reality in Kajiado,” the speech read.
Through pollination, bees help in conserving the environment and reduces climate change effects. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is partnering with the government to create awareness on how to protect the bees through enabling environment policy and also ensuring adequate capacity building for bee farmers to moderate honey production and conserve environment.
Speaking during the launch, Kajiado County Governor Joseph Ole Lenku said that the umbrella cooperatives would give bee farmers an opportunity to market their products beyond Kenya and also learn to produce quality honey.
“As Kajiado County, we have taken this initiative to launch our umbrella cooperative that brings together bee farmers and honey sellers. They will sell their products through cooperatives, be educated and trained on the right ways of conducting apiculture so that as a county we can find a way to push products with good quality to other countries at the same time find a better way farmers can fund their businesses using those cooperatives,” said Lenku.
In line with this year’s World Bees Day theme; “Bee engaged with youth” Kajiado has offered a platform for youths, alongside women to showcase their products, skills and projects related to apiculture. In support of this, governor Lenku pointed out that, they want youths and women to be self-employed through the strategies and cooperatives launched.
“Today is about the bees and the youths, we also include women and because of that, we want the youths to use the knowledge and education they have gained to carry out bee keeping business including self-employment. I am so delighted that the youths and women are on the forefront in apiculture. We ask our partners to assist these communities in terms of trainings, education and funding to continue with the business,” pointed Lenku.