Made with a wide variety of flowering plants, such as citrus, eucalyptus and maple, the honeys of Jordan are increasingly successful, maintain the hives of the country at full capacity and inspire new beekeepers.
“The covid period, in particular, had a positive impact on our activity, there was a strong demand for honey”comments Mutasim Hammad, a 48 year old beekeeper who is dedicated to this passion after having worked for years in public safety.
Dressed in a white protective suit, Hammad inspects his 80 hives located on a property in Irbid, 90 km north of Amman.
According to the beekeeper, who sells about 400 kilos of Honey by year“people have become aware of the value of honey” locally produced and known for its anti-inflammatory properties and other health benefits.
Jordan boasts of its rich diversity of honeys, with 19 different types. “We have around 2,500 flowering plants”says Mohammad Rababaa, director of the Jordanian Beekeepers Association.
“This diversity sets Jordanian honey apart and means that its value therapeutic and nutritional must be better than other types of honey”points out.
He cites as an example the slightly bitter maple syrup, which has “a very high level of phenolic compounds and antioxidants compared to other types of honey”.
More than 4,000 beekeepers
Since the pandemic, “the demand for locally produced honey has clearly increased”confirms Rababaa, a professor of natural resources and the environment at the Jordan University of Science and Technology.
In his view, the sector has a larger workforce than the official figure of 1,400 beekeepers in Jordan.
“The reality is that the number of beekeepers is more than 4,000”he assured.
They produce 700 to 800 tons per year, or 70% of Jordan’s annual consumption.
“We are very close to self-sufficiency”, comments Rababaa, who asks to stop imports.
Another enthusiast, Mohammad Khatib, 49, also says that the pandemic and confinement gave him “enough time to learn to know the bees and take care of them.”
A French professor at Al Bayt University, Khatib has some 15 beehives in his garden that bring him a significant income.
“People are looking for quality honey” and some customers place orders a year in advance”account.
Jordanian honey sells for 15 to 30 dinars ($19 to $39) per kilodepending on the type.
Rababaa pointed out that the economic benefit “It is not limited to honey, because they also produce pollen, royal jelly, wax, propolis, and bee venom, which is used in numerous therapeutic compounds.”
In addition, healthy populations of bees and other insects provide an almost incalculable service to the ecosystem by pollinating plants.
The beekeeping sector generates about US$ 28 million annually, but “the indirect value of crop pollination exceeds US$ 100 million”, says Rabbaba.
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
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