Per Daniel Augusto Cavalcante, PhD in Food Technology from UNICAMP and CEO of Baldoni, a company that supports the Brazilian Bee Studies Association (ABELHA)
Article originally published on Voices of Agro, from Globo Rural Magazine (21/6/2021).the market of mel Brazilian has a great potential to be explored. Brazil is experiencing a particular moment in the sector with a considerable increase in exports and, consequently,ent, high prices. However, whenThe opportunity for demand and the increases in profitability have not been used by beekeepers to increase the volume of honey produced in the country.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2017, Brazil was the 11th largest producer of honey in the world, with 41.5 thousand tons. In 2019, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), production was 45.9 thousand tons, a volume 10.60% higher than in 2017, but insufficient to include Brazil in the list of the 10 largest in the world.
However, we can and must grow much more. Honey productivity in Brazil is low when compared to other countries. The 101,000 beekeepers in the country, according to the 2017 Agricultural Census, recorded an average production per hive of 19.80 kg of honey per year.
In Argentina, this index is 35kg per hive/year, in the USA it is 30kg, in Australia it is 105kg and in China it is 100kg. This means that, with a similar number of hives, on the order of 2 million, Brazil and Argentina have a marked disparity in annual honey production.
This analysis points to an essential factor for expanding the enormous potential of the Brazilian beekeeping market, especially in the production of honey. The low productivity of Brazilian beekeepers is not due to the number of hives managed, but to the current beekeeping management.
The issue is directly related to the beekeeper's view of beekeeping. The 2017 Agricultural Census figures show a national average of 21 hives per beekeeper. This low number indicates that, for most bee keepers, this activity is not their main income. It is the third, sometimes fourth, income of his family.
“IN BEEKEEPING, THE SEARCH AND DISSEMINATION OF TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE ON GOOD PRODUCTION PRACTICES IS MANDATORY”
Much of the honey produced in the country comes from beekeepers without technical training and full dedication to apiaries. Minimal handling care to increase your productivity is in the background ― that's when they are implemented.
With few and effective management actions and good beekeeping practices, it is possible to improve productivity to levels close to Argentina and Mexico, which would already lead us to the volumes produced by the three largest honey producers in the world.
In beekeeping, productivity is dependent on the location of the apiaries, the management of beekeeping management in the field and the migration activities of the hives, according to the flowering, being mandatory the search and dissemination of technical knowledge on good production practices.
consumption increase
In addition to the productive factor, another potential to be explored for our honey involves stimulating the taste of Brazilians for the product. While the world average of honey consumption is 240 grams per capita per year, the domestic consumption of the product by Brazilians is one of the lowest in the world: 60 grams.
This represents approximately 15 thousand tons of honey, with 53% destined for table honey, used to sweeten drinks, fruits or consumption in natura; 35% consumed by the food industry and used as ingredients; and the last 11% consumed by the cosmetics, tobacco and animal feed industry.
There is a lot to be done to improve the beekeeper's and consumer's perception of the importance of honey for health, income aggregation, stability in production and export. The work of associations, of the executive power in all spheres and of honey warehouses should be directed towards a greater awareness of beekeepers of the importance of effective and professional management in the short term.
With the pandemic of the new coronavirus, the world started to consume more this natural food from bees. We must take advantage of this opportunity to raise, once and for all, the production of Brazilian honey, which is valued and recognized internationally for its quality.
All this without mentioning the great importance of the pollination service that bees provide not only for the conservation of biodiversity, but also for the increment and optimization of food production. The diversity of our bees offers a rich opportunity for the country. We have to take advantage of it!
