Nkhata Bay beekeepers intensify afforestation initiatives

* The farmer are limited to put more hives for their business as the forest which they use has few trees

* We are experiencing some problems in bee keeping as there are few trees to put bee hives on

By Chisomo Kambandanga, MANA

Beekeeping groups under Transforming Agriculture through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) program in the area of Senior Chief Fukamapiri in NKhata Bay District, have embarked on preparation for tree-seedlings for the next forestry season, saying forests are key to honey production.

In an interview on Wednesday during a monitoring visit to various groups under TRADE program, Getrude Nkhoma, a group member of Tiyanjane beekeeping from Group Village Head Kasuka, said they want to address the problem of scarcity of trees which is a setback to honey production.

She revealed that they are limited to put more hives for their business as the forest which they use has few trees: “We are experiencing some problems in bee keeping as there are few trees to put bee hives on.

“Currently we only have seven bee hives working but we have the ability to have more if we have more trees hence the initiative of afforestation.”

Nkhoma emphasised that trees are also essential for honey production because they provide the necessary resources for honeybees to thrive and produce high-quality honey.

In his remarks, district agribusiness officer, Knowledge Mtambo expressed satisfaction with the way farmers have embraced interventions by TRADE program which, among others, includes afforestation, modern honey production methods, proper honey processing and linkage to markets.

“Farmers are able to practice what they have been trained on, such as modern honey production and processing,” he said. “They are also able to conduct market surveys for the honey which is encouraging.”

NKhata Bay District economist, Emmanuel Kanjawala, who is also monitoring & evaluation officer, commended the groups for coordinated efforts in working towards TRADE projects.

TRADE program is a six-year initiative by the government of Malawi funded by the international Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) — whose main objective is to contribute to the sustainable improved livelihoods of rural people in Malawi.

So far the program has provided 1,600 and 4,013 tubes of trees-seedlings to Tiyanjane and Msitu beekeeping groups respectively among others for afforestation initiative.