Review on Honey Value Chain in Ethiopia

Abstract

The review has been conducted with the objectives of the core functions and major actors involved, distribution of benefits of actors along the honey value chain and Challenges and opportunities of honey value chain in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is home to some of the most diverse flora and fauna in Africa. The country produced about 45 thousand tons which accounted about 27% and 3% of African and World honey production respectively and makes the country the largest producers in Africa and the tenth in the world. More than one million households are estimated to keep bees using traditional, intermediate and modern hives. Apiculture is a promising off-farm enterprise, which directly and indirectly contributes to smallholder’s income in particular and nation’s economy in general. It has been reported that annually an average of 420 million Ethiopian Birr is obtained from the sale of honey. The subsector is also creating job opportunities in both rural and urban areas through organizing jobless urban and landless rural youth and women to involve in them in bee equipment production and beekeeping activities. The sector traditional production system is the main feature where 96% of the hives are reported to be traditional and 91% of the total honey produced comes from traditional hives. Ethiopia has adequate natural resources and a long tradition and culture of beekeeping. However, mainly because of lack of technological changes, institutional supports and access to market and value chain development, the country in general and the rural beekeeping households in particular have not been sufficiently benefited from the sub sector. The major constraints to exploit the untapped potential of beekeeping activity in the country are lack of knowledge and skill on beekeeping, lack of institutional linkage, lack of organized marketing channel, low access to improved beekeeping equipment and agrochemical bee poisoning. Efforts should be geared to develop efficient input delivery systems and knowledge-based honey production to improve production side and introduction of value adding management practices and market linkage from marketing side are the most important aspect of enhancing the livelihood and source of income for honey producers.

Keywords: Honey; Value chain; Market channel; Challenges; Ethiopia

DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/84-01

Publication date: January 31^st 2022