Iran Ranks Third in World in Honey Production, With Potential for Growth
(MENAFN) Iran has emerged as the third-largest producer of honey in the world, according to data released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The country's apiaries produce 136,000 tons of honey annually, with West Azarbaijan province contributing more than 22 percent of the total production. Other leading honey-producing provinces include East Azarbaijan, Fars, Ardebil, and Kermanshah. In addition to honey, Iran's beekeeping industry produces other by-products such as royal jelly, pollen, beeswax, propolis, and bee venom.
Despite its high number of bee colonies and apiaries, Iran's average production of honey falls below the global standard. The Animal Science Research Institute of Iran (ASRI) has called for increasing the amount of honey production by three to four kilograms per colony to meet the country's potential. ASRI Chairman Mokhtar Mohajer has noted that Iran's rank in honey production is changing and fluctuating between fourth and sixth place worldwide.
There are currently 11.8 million bee colonies in 109,759 apiaries in Iran, and 87,932 people work in the country's apiaries. While the potential for the industry is high, there are challenges to overcome, including the low literacy of producers, which affects honey production. The average production of honey in traditional colonies is only four kilograms, while modern colonies produce an average of 9.6 kilograms per colony. The ASRI chairman has highlighted the need to increase production by using the diversity of plants and pastures in the country, as outlined in the Seventh National Development Plan (2022-2026).
While most of the beekeeping by-products are consumed domestically, 10 percent of these products are exported to countries like Turkey and Arab countries. As Iran continues to focus on expanding its beekeeping industry, it has the potential to become a leading producer and exporter of honey and its by-products.
MENAFN05042023000045014228ID1105947675
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.