(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- Omani apiarists have hailed the tenth Omani Honey Market and asked for more such opportunities to market their products.
They say the current marketing outlets offered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries are good and have called for more such initiatives.
MoAF announced that 3,498kg of Omani honey worth RO75,980 was sold this year.
Muscat Dailyspoke to a few apiarists at the market that concluded on Saturday. An apiarist from Mudhaibi, Ibrahim Ahmed al Habsi feels beekeepers need bigger platforms than the current ones.
'The Omani Honey Market is a good opportunity for us to showcase our products, but it is held for a shorter duration. We need more number of days, so that we can reach out to more customers.'
Importing of non-native bees by some traders is also a hurdle. 'Some traders are importing non-Omani bees from neighbouring countries. Some of these bees carry diseases that infect Omani bees,' said Habsi.
Another apiarist, Mohammed Sabih Said al Jahouri from Saham too, said lack of enough exhibitions and other marketing outlets is a hindrance.
Ibrahim al Habsi
'We produce more than 1,500kg of honey every year. But we need to take part in more exhibitions and market our products to a wider audience to expand our business. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries holds two exhibitions a year in Muscat. They should now have more such exhibitions in each of the different governorates.' Jahouri said it is also important to reduce the import of honey.
Ahmed bin Abdullah Said al Maamari from Ibri said the exhibitions are a good way of connecting with consumers. 'Such exhibitions are also a good medium of exchanging experiences with other Omani beekeepers.
Mohammed al Jahouri
'We have consumers who visit our stalls every year. We do not get much profit as the cost of producing a kilo of honey is RO23 and we sell it around RO25. I wish Omani Honey Market is also held in other parts of the sultanate such as Dhofar especially during the khareef season,' said Maamari.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is making all efforts to ensure that Omani honey maintains its quality.
Dr Hassan Talib al Lawati, the head of bee research at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries said, 'We have taken honey samples from the beekeepers and sent them to the laboratory. This will ensure that Omani honey meets the required quality requirements.'
Speaking about the lack of exhibitions, Dr Lawati said, 'We have two major seasons for honey in a year (Sidr and Al Samar). So, we hold two exhibitions, one in June and the other in November. We have also asked the beekeepers to provide us with their details so that we can communicate with them. All this will help us promote their products.'
Ahmed al Maamari
On the the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries's decision to hold all exhibitions in Muscat, Dr Lawati said, 'We had held an exhibition in Salalah earlier, but the turnout was poor. We chose Muscat because the turnout is better. Beekeepers attend these exhibitions from across the sultanate, so the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries provides them with free space and also provides them hotel accommodations.'
Dr Lawati said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries regularly holds workshops on diseases that affect Omani bees. 'The ministry also provides free treatment to all Omani beekeepers,' said Dr Lawati.
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