Honey prices plummet, beekeepers suffer losses
Huy Thu - June 15, 2023 14:00
(Baonghean.vn) - This year, despite a good harvest, honey prices have plummeted. Each kilogram of honey sold can only buy one bottle of water, causing beekeepers in the province to suffer and lose money to keep their jobs.
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| The cool acacia forests along the Ho Chi Minh Highway through Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, Tan Ky, Nghia Dan districts... are suitable places for beekeeping. On average, each district has 50 - 70 bee farms. Each farm has 150 - 600 bee colonies. In the photo: A bee farm in Duc Son commune (Anh Son). Photo: Huy Thu |
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According to beekeepers, this year's honey season has been relatively favorable, with bee colonies producing a good amount of honey. It is currently the middle of the honey season, and beekeepers are actively harvesting honey during the hot days. In the photo: Harvesting honey in Nghia Binh commune, Nghia Dan district. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Currently, almost all bee farms raise foreign bees (Italian bees) with the advantage of being adaptable to the environment, developing strongly, and producing high honey yields. On average, farms harvest honey every 7-10 days. Beehives with large numbers of workers and all the bridges full of worker bees can produce a harvest of about 100 kg of honey in a season. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| The honey harvest season lasts from March to September. During each honey harvest, beehives are selected, arranged, and supplemented to help the bee colonies develop better. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| According to beekeepers in Anh Son district, every year nomadic beekeepers often move from the South to the North. Around February, from the South, the bees will be brought to the Northern provinces to take advantage of the longan and lychee flower season, and around April, they will be brought to Nghe An to collect acacia honey. The quality of acacia honey is not inferior, and is even considered to be much better than other types of honey. Photo: Huy Thu |
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Every time honey is extracted, bee farms mobilize more manpower to move the beehive, extract the bins, and pack the honey... Currently, bee farms all use stainless steel bins to extract honey to ensure hygiene. Each morning, a bee farm can extract several tons of honey. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Mr. Vu Van Duy (41 years old), from Hai Duong province, is raising bees in Duc Son commune (Anh Son). He said: Currently, there are about 10 bee farms in Duc Son commune. His farm is raising 600 colonies, which have been built for many years. Each time honey is collected, the bee farm harvests from 1.3 to 2.5 tons of honey. "This year, the harvest is good but the price is low, so beekeepers do not make a profit, even lose money" - Mr. Duy said. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| In the middle of the honey season, all bee farms produce good quality honey, beautiful color, and mild sweetness. Bright yellow honey is more valuable than dark honey. The darker the honey color, the more it depreciates. In early 2022, honey prices fluctuated between 20,000 - 21,000 VND/kg. At the same time last year, honey prices were around 16,000 - 17,000 VND/kg. Currently, the price of honey purchased at bee farms in Nghe An fluctuates only between 9,000 - 10,000 VND/kg, even bad honey is only sold for 7,500 - 8,000 VND/kg. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Mr. Phung Van Van (60 years old), a permanent resident of Nghia Hung commune, Chu Pa district (Gia Lai), is raising bees in Thanh Son commune (Thanh Chuong). He shared: I have been in the profession for decades. Currently, the input is high, the output is low, the price of honey has never been as low as today. Each kilogram of honey sold is only enough to buy 1 bottle of water, the output is there, but the income is not. The drop in honey prices has made beekeepers suffer, some farms have had to sell their bees, quit the job, some people are holding on, even investing capital to keep the job. In the photo: The bee farm is in a precarious terrain, carrying honey uphill is quite difficult. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| According to beekeepers, domestic honey prices have dropped sharply because they cannot be exported abroad, especially to the US market. Therefore, domestic honey companies have to import at low prices. Falling honey prices, high material costs, and high labor costs have severely affected beekeeping farms. A honey worker earns about 450,000 - 500,000 VND/day. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Mr. Le Van Luan (26 years old), from Thanh Huong commune (Thanh Chuong), who is purchasing honey for a honey company in Dak Lak, said: His facility purchases honey from all districts in Nghe An. Each month, he buys about 120 tons of honey at a price of 9,000 - 10,000 VND/kg. The honey purchase price in Nghe An depends on the "parent company" in Dak Lak. The nomadic beekeeping profession is in a state of buying high and selling low, not being able to sell, a dilemma... Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Honey harvesting. Video: Huy Thu |
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