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Iran’s export of honey hit $5.6m last year
On the occasion of National Day of Honey on August 21, Mohammad Ebrahim Hassannejad from Agriculture Ministry pointed to the flourishing production of bee products, including beeswax, royal jelly, propolis, pollen, and even bee venom, all of which have higher added value than honey itself, adding that beekeepers’ embrace of this economic perspective on production has increased revenues from beekeeping, IRNA reported.
The deputy for livestock affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture stated that in addition to producing 121,000 tons of honey last year, more than 10 and a half kilograms of bee venom, 9,149 kilograms of royal jelly, over 885 tons of pollen, and 183 tons of propolis were produced in bee-keeping units across the country.
According to statistics, honey exports last year amounted to 1,469 tons, he said.
The country stood at the 4th rank in terms of bee colonies and also third rank in the world in honey production terms, according to the latest statistics of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
FAO also said that 2.150 million tons of honey is annually produced in the worldwide.
Hassannejad emphasized the importance of supporting private sector traders and highlighted key areas for increasing exports of beekeeping-related products, including implementing honey standards or developing plans to enhance the quality of bee products, as well as facilitating the supply of these products in border markets for export purposes.