Employees of Mpundu Wild Honey Ltd. in Zambia display their honey products in November 2018 (XINHUA)

High up in the remote forests of central and northwest Zambia, bees are producing some of the world's best organic honey.

For centuries, honey bees have met human demand for products like honey and beeswax. It's a demand that continues to this day and by all accounts is growing exponentially.

The huge gap between the world's consumption of bee products and available supply presents a profitable opportunity for entrepreneurs to exploit.

In Zambia, honey has long been treasured locally for its medicinal properties, and today it is also cherished as a powerful engine for local development.

Lucrative sector

With over 30,000 Zambians engaged in beekeeping, the sector has become a lucrative business venture in the country's bid to diversify its copper dominated economy.

Trade experts say honey is the most popular natural sweetener in the world and the global trade in bee products is worth millions of dollars every year. Due to its diverse use, the worldwide consumption of honey is so huge that supply can barely cope with demand.

Interestingly, honey from Zambia is currently in high demand in foreign markets such as China, and other countries, due to its pure taste that is free from any additives, preservatives or economic adulterants.

Rita Mbulo is a mother of three from a small village in northwest Zambia. After years of trying to make ends meet in the charcoal industry, she was selected to be part of a network of beekeepers managed by Al-Apis Concepts Ltd. She was trained as a beekeeper, and now manages 20 hives which produce over 250 kg of organic honey annually. This venture has increased her income to allow her to send her children to school, buy food and pay for medical bills.

"It's awesome to belong to this network because it has taught me and other farmers how to add value to honey through improved beekeeping methods. Since our honey is highly sought after on the international market, we look forward to increasing our yield in order to meet global demand," said Mbulo.

Driving along the Great North Road from one metropolis to another, en route to the Copperbelt Province, motorists are usually attracted to an avalanche of Zambia's natural multiflora honey, straight from the forests of Central Province.

Mable Nkolomba, 32, is a street vendor based in Kapiri Mposhi District. He said being a trader of pure organic honey along the Lusaka-Ndola Highway, popularly known as the Great North Road, has been fruitful.

"I order the raw honey from beekeepers from nearest forests and after I process it into clear syrup, which is packaged into 2.5 liter containers, I sell each container at K40 ($3) depending on the local market demand," said Nkolomba.

On the international market, honey is trading in the range of $5-6 per kg, as compared to the local market which fetches between an average K30-40 ($2-3) per kg of the same commodity, according to the National Honey Board, a U.S.-based industry-funded agriculture promotion group that educates consumers about the benefits and uses of honey and honey products.

It is for this reason that several small- and medium-sized beekeepers in rural Zambia are repositioning themselves to enter the Chinese and other foreign markets.

New markets

Mpundu Wild Honey Ltd., a Zambian honey maker, got some sweet exposure at the First China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in November 2018. Last year, the company showcased new products, such as honey facemasks and honey soaps, to meet the diverse needs of Chinese consumers.

Amos Kunda, 42, from Mkushi District of central Zambia has been in the honey sector for over a decade. "Belonging to Mpundu Wild Honey Ltd. has more benefits as the company has empowered me and other local farmers in terms of access to viable local and international markets," said Kunda.

"I can now afford to buy farming inputs such as fertilizer, chemicals and seeds to cultivate crops, pay for my children's tuition fees and support other family members as well," he said.

Company Director Zhang Zhanping explained that his company plans to increase honey production by increasing the number of beekeepers in the area.

Zhang said the Kabwe-based company is helping local bee farmers add value to their products and explore the local market, instead of producing only for the export market.

"The export of honey to China from Zambia will improve the economies of both countries through employment creation and international trade," said Zhang.

On the other hand, Al-Apis Concepts Ltd., a private organization, supports over 1,000 small scale beekeepers in northwest Zambia by providing them with the hives and training needed to produce raw honey. This has a positive impact on their social welfare and on the environment.

Mumba Ai, Director of Training at Al-Apis Concepts Ltd., echoed Mbulo's idea that for local farmers to meet international demand of unprocessed honey, they are required to supply no less than 50 tons a year to meet the demand.

"If we can increase the number of farmers we have in our network, we should be able to meet that, especially in the coming season," said Ai.

Wide range of use

Al-Apis Concepts Ltd. is also conscious of the spin offs of the honey industry, including medicine, food processing, industrial manufacturing and natural healing.

"For instance, most local farmers are unaware of the economic benefits of beeswax, a wax material produced from the honeybee's body that is thrown away after harvesting honey from bee hives. A lot of craftspeople and manufacturers still spend a lot of money importing beeswax which can be produced locally," Ai noted. Beeswax is widely used in a range of cosmetics.

China and African countries have notably advanced their cooperation in recent years, with multilateral platforms such as the CIIE and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation playing a constructive role. The First China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo is another international platform which was recently held in central China's Changsha City in June 2019.

Following the signing of an export protocol witnessed by Zambian President Edgar Lungu and Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to China in September 2018, Mpundu Wild Honey, a company based in Kabwe District, has since exported more than 10 tons of honey to China.

It is indisputable that the boom of the honey trade in the global market will improve lives of thousands of small scale beekeepers in Zambia; hence, the focus should now be value addition of its by-products following an increase in export demand by a whopping 700 percent in five years, according to the Zion Market Research – a company that produces futuristic, cutting edge and informative reports.

It is for this reason that the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) is working with the country's Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry and International Trade Center to grow the sector and create efficiency in the production and supply of honey.

In line with Zambia's Seventh National Development Plan (2017-21) to diversify the economy, the honey sector is among the priority areas which government has identified to drive the diversification agenda.

Zambia's annual honey production is 2,500 tons and it currently exports only 1,000 tons to the European and African markets, leaving a surplus of 1,500 tons, according to data obtained from the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

"You can see a lot of passion among our leaders all the way down to individual households about honey - it is Zambia's gold," said ZDA Director General Perry Mapani.

(Reporting from Zambia)

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