Boosting Apiculture in Mauritius

Agro Minister announces several measures to boost apiculture

Posted by on 5/09/16 

Without bees, there would be no flowering plants, and without flowering plants there would be no bees. The honeybees and stingless bees have originally developed in forest biotopes.

Bees provide a better pollination that leads to improved regeneration of trees and conservation of the forest’s biodiversity as well as for the food production of all the other animals and birds in the forest ecosystem dependent on it for food, seeds and fruits.

Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Mahen Seeruttun, recalled that apiculture which is practiced mainly as a part time activity in Mauritius has been affected by the presence of the varroa mite and the small hive beetle. As a result, the annual honey production which is about 35 tons annually had dropped to less than 25 tons in 2015. Some 10,000 melliferous plants will be planted by 2018 by the Forestry Service under this project, underlined Mr Seeruttun, adding that this measure will ensure a continuous flow of nectar to honey bees thus increasing honey production. Furthermore, the Forestry Service will not cut down eucalyptus trees in selected zones, he said.

Agro Minister announces several measures to boost apiculture

Date: May 06, 2016

Domain:Agriculture and Food Security
Persona: Business; Citizen; Government; Non-Citizen

 GIS – 06 May 2016: The main limiting factor for the expansion of apiculture in Mauritius is the decreasing area under melliferous plants such as eucalyptus, campêche, jamblon, tamarind, roussaille and vavangue. Consequently, to address this constraint, forest areas in Bras d’Eau to the extent of 10 hectares, 19 hectares at Le Morne, 7 hectares at La Ferme, 15 hectares in the ex-tea belt areas, 5 hectares at Belle Village and 3 hectares at Cap Malheureux will be planted with melliferous plants.  

The above statement was made by the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Mahen Seeruttun, yesterday at Bras D’Eau National Park at the launching ceremony of the Alternative Livelihoods for Food and Income Security Project which is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and implemented by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kenya.

According to the Minister, this programme is being implemented at the opportune time not only to give a boost to the apiculture sector in Mauritius and Rodrigues but also to create a greater regional awareness of the potential of the industry as well as to focus national attention on the importance of the domestic beekeeping industry.

He recalled that apiculture which is practiced mainly as a part time activity in Mauritius has been affected by the presence of the varroa mite and the small hive beetle. As a result, the annual honey production which is about 35 tons annually had dropped to less than 25 tons in 2015.

Some 10,000 melliferous plants will be planted by 2018 by the Forestry Service under this project, underlined Mr Seeruttun, adding that this measure will ensure a continuous flow of nectar to honey bees thus increasing honey production. Furthermore, the Forestry Service will not cut down eucalyptus trees in selected zones, he said.  

The International Fund for Agricultural Development is, under the project, providing the funding to the tune of 172,385 US Dollars for a period of two years. The main activities that will be undertaken include: Capacity building of beekeepers on the management of bee colonies;Control of honey bee pests and diseases with bio-products; Organic certification of our honey so that it can be branded; Pollination of crops so as to increase production of quality fruits and vegetables; Production and sale of queen bees both by grafting and artificial insemination, and Setting up of a Honey Residue Monitoring Plan so that the exportation of our honey to the European Union can be envisaged. 

It is within this context that a one-week training of beekeepers in apiculture is being carried out by Dr Eliud Muli, and Mr Joseph Kilonzo from ICIPE. The two resource persons also carried out a similar training in Rodrigues from 25 to 29 April 2016.  

According to the Minister, the project caters for one new model of beehive, a smoker, hat and veil and hive tool to be given free to each registered and trained beekeepers Mauritius and Rodrigues, who have a good site for keeping honey bees. “Bees are amongst the most important insects to humans. Pollinating flowers and contributing to the beautification of the planet’s floral landscapes is perhaps the simplest and least economically important actions but it is certainly its most aesthetically pleasing one. These humble, buzzing bugs deserve a huge thanks for helping in providing us with fruits and vegetables, honey and beautiful bio-diversity!”

Government Information Service, Prime Minister’s Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email: gis@govmu.org  Website:http://gis.govmu.org