Muscat: The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MoAFWR), is joining other countries in the world today in celebrating World Bee Day, which falls on May 20 every year.
The United Nations has designated May 20th as World Bee Day to raise awareness on the importance of pollinators, highlight their contributions to sustainable development and the threats they face and to enhance measures that would protect bees and other pollinators.
In this context, MoAFWR has worked on developing the honey bee sector in the Sultanate by implementing supportive programs for beekeepers, organizing programms, setting laws governing the sector and holding two honey markets annually with the aim of expanding the marketing cycle for products and raising awareness on the importance of honey as food and as one of the crucial element to boost the economy in the Sultanate.
As a result, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MoAFWR) recognized the potential of incorporating Apiculture with small-scale farming systems and has been leading a number of programs and initiatives designed to elevate the standards of apiculture in Oman, and enhance the quality of honey and other honey added-value products. These efforts have resulted in increasing the number of beekeepers to 5520 in 2019 and an increase of 66% of honey production in less than a decade, contributing this to improved livelihoods in rural and remote areas.
Given the importance of the apiculture value chain for achieving food security in Oman, the Ministry has joined forces with FAO, OMIFCO, and the Authority of Small and Medium Enterprises Development through an innovative public-private partnership aimed at strengthening the apiculture value chain in Oman and empowering rural beekeepers to access knowledge, technologies, and markets.
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