The African continent recorded the highest global growth rate in honey production in 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced this Tuesday (May 20), according to Lusa.
In a statement issued to mark World Bee Day (May 20), the FAO noted that global honey production reached 1.89 million tonnes in 2023, with Africa registering the “highest growth rate”.
According to the organization, Africa currently accounts for 12% of global production, with an annual output of 223,000 tonnes, with Ethiopia as the continent’s largest honey producer and the tenth largest in the world. Other major producers include Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, the Central African Republic, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
FAO Deputy Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, Abebe Haile-Gabriel, emphasized the continent’s great potential in honey production:
“African bees have shown remarkable resilience to parasites and pathogens that cause significant losses elsewhere,” he said, adding that
“the wax produced by these insects typically has low pesticide contamination, putting African beekeeping in a strong position to benefit from organic and fair-trade market niches.”
In a note released from the Ethiopian city of Jimma, the FAO paid tribute to these insects and other pollinators, whom its Director-General, Qu Dongyu, called “silent heroes” for their role in agri-food systems and the planet’s ecosystem health.
“Today we celebrate bees and other pollinators: small creatures essential to our food, health, environment, and economy,” Qu said in a video message during an event in Jimma marking the day.
He highlighted that “pollinators have immense economic value and are silent heroes. Without them, we would lose up to 8% of global agricultural production, worth approximately 577 billion dollars every year.”
World Bee Day was established in 2017 by a United Nations resolution, following a proposal by the Slovenian government.
Source: Diário Económico
