The African Union Inter-Bureau for Animal Resources yesterday launched the Nigerian Apiculture Platform as part of its 13.1billion Euros bee project in Africa.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, while speaking at the event in Abuja yesterday, said the honeybee industry had been identified as a key area for the much needed economic diversification.
“Global honey yield is estimated at 1.4 million tonnes annually, costing about $7 billion. It is estimated that honeybee could contribute to increase agricultural productivity and food security by more than a third through pollination,” Chief Ogbeh said.
The minister said about 20,000 beehives would be distributed to farmers this year, adding that the market for the bee products was hugely global.
Ogbeh listed other products from bee to include beeswax, propoli, bee pollen and apitoxin, which are natural sources of raw materials for the production of various forms of medicinal and prophylactic products.
The Director of the African Union’s Inter-African Union Bureau for Animal Resources, who was represented by Dr. Simplice Mouaba, said the 13.1 million Euros provided by the European Union (EU) through AU-IBAR was meant for the development of honeybee in Africa.
He urged the Nigerian government to take ownership of the project, adding that the industry had huge potentials for job creation.
