Scientists to meet in Kampala to tackle challenges in bee sector

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While Uganda’s bee products are on demand at home and abroad, challenges such as pests and diseases, changing weather and habitat loss are threatening the existence of bees.

Uganda produces 24,000 metric tonnes of honey every year, according to data by the Uganda National Apiculture Development Organisation (TUNADO).

Add 2,000 tonness of beeswax, 50,000 litres of propolis tincture and 10 kilogrammes of bee venom — and the collective earnings from the sector is sh240b.

To ensure that this key income-generating sector survives, bee scientists in and out of Uganda will meet this year in the capital, Kampala, to share experiences and ideas on improved beekeeping.

The 4th Africa Apimondia Symposium Conference & Exhibition will take place on August 25-28 at Hotel Africana. 

Among other things, the meeting will discuss how best to harness the medicinal value of bee products, such as propolis, which are becoming a niche market that Uganda is pursuing, according to Dr Dickson Biryomumaisho, the executive director of TUNADO.

Known as a natural antibiotic, propolis has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties and is often used to treat cold sores and aid wound healing.

The upcoming symposium will provide a platform to open up new markets for bee products, latest technologies for bee farmers, as well as pests and disease management options.

During a planning meeting in Kampala on Tuesday, Biryomumaisho said they intend to amplify the bee products of Uganda for international markets.

“So we want to tell our story as Uganda, so that somebody enjoying our bee products, our honey, is enjoying it with the story that we have," he said.

"We shall be having both Ugandan scientists and international scientists demonstrating on the production services that bees bring to crops like coffee,” he added.

Animal husbandry state minister Bright Rwamirama, who is the patron of apiculture (beekeeping), said the government is committed to harnessing the apiculture sector by addressing some of the challenges.

Poor technology access by beekeepers and an unstructured market for honey and related products continue to affect farmers' incomes.

Represented during the launch of the planning activities ahead of the symposium, the minister said beekeeping farmers in 69 districts have been included in the World Bank-supported Uganda Climate Smart Agriculture Transformation Project to cope with the changing climate.

Under this project, farmers will be supported with inputs for production and value addition.