Chinese firm bails out Miombo beekeepers

By CHATULA KANGALI –
A CHINESE  firm has started buying honey from the Miombo Forest beekeepers in Mpongwe District on the Copperbelt Province.
The beekeepers were stuck with over 90,000 tonnes of honey due to lack of market.
This followed the termination of a contract with a South African buyer, Aleo Rich  Aprices  PVT  two years ago.
Mpongwe District Commissioner Keith Maila said in an interview that a Chinese firm had started buying honey from the beekeepers in the area.
He said that other traders from around the province had also started buying honey from the district.
“Beekeepers here in Mpongwe have now found a buyer, a Chinese company and other people have been coming to buy the products, we are happy that a market has now been found,” he said.
Mr Maila said there were thousands of  villagers that depended on honey as a source of income in the district.
He said the availability for a  market for honey would enhance the villagers’ livelihood and change the economic status of the district.
Meanwhile,  the establishment of a  peanut butter processing plant  by the Bulima Seed Growers Association in the district is progressing well.
Mr Maila said  the association was expected to start the  production of peanut butter before the end of this year.
The peanut butter processing plant will have a production capacity of 20 tonnes per year and employ more than 20 local people.