By Alex Byakatonda
Honey producers and processors in Kabale District, have been urged to embrace value addition in order to improve the quality of their
honey, since the honey produced in Kigezi region, has the potential of meeting international market standards.
The call was today made by the Kabale District Secretary for Production, Marketing Natural Resources, Trade, Industry and Local
Development, Ronald Bagamuhunda, who represented the Kabale District Chairperson, Nelson Nshangabasheija, at the handover of two honey settling tanks to two honey processing groups, at the District headquarters.
He noted that innovation and value addition are in line with National Development plan III, and also help to improve the quality of
honey and other hive-based products, and hence improving household incomes of small-scale beekeepers, who are part of the 39 percent of subsistence households, being targeted by Government under the Parish development model-PDM.
According to the Kabale District Senior entomologist, Honest Tumuheirwe, the tanks which are all valued at 5.7million shillings,
were procured under the Agricultural extension grants.
She added that the tanks are meant to improve the quality of honey. Tumuheirwe, added that the tanks have been handed over to Nyabushabi Beekeepers Association and Kabale Apiculture Multi-Stakeholder Innovation platform.
The Kabale Chief Administrative officer, Edmond Ntimba, warned apiarists against always killing the bees while harvesting honey,
saying that they could extinct them. He said that promoting the honey sub-sector also helps to ensure the growth of the agro-forestry
sector.
Benon Nshekanabo, one of the farmers from Kabale Apiculture Multi Stakeholder Innovation platform, commended government, for
continuously supporting apiarists, saying that they have been able to make strides from producing honey for home consumption to producing for the market.
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