THE Guyana Apicultural Society (GAS) will be hosting the Ninth Caribbean Bee-keeping Congress in Guyana at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) from November 19th to 23rd, 2018.

The theme for the Congress is: “Natural Bee-keeping for a Green Caribbean” and will provide a forum for the regional bee-keeping community to address the challenges and opportunities facing this agricultural subsector.

The event, which is co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, is being held in collaboration with the Association of Caribbean Bee-keepers’ Organisations (ACBO). It is a bi-annual event, which is being held in Guyana for the second time; the fifth such congress was convened in Guyana in 2008.

The ACBO was established on September, 2002, during the Third Caribbean Bee-keeping Congress in Jamaica by a resolution of that congress.

Series of congresses
This series of congresses began with the staging of the first one in Tobago in November, 1998. The congress was then held in Nevis in 2000 and Jamaica in 2002; in 2005 it was once again held in Trinidad; Guyana in 2008, then in Grenada in 2011; the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2013; Tobago in 2016 and now in Guyana once more.

According to the ACBO, its goal is to ensure the sustainability of the Caribbean Bee-keeping sub-sector, while developing its competitiveness.
Regional and International participants
“We are anticipating attendance by approximately 100 regional and international participants, and 150 local participants. For Guyana, the key benefits for hosting the Ninth Caribbean Bee-keeping Congress includes the immediate exposure of 120 new persons to bee-keeping, as well as 30 existing local bee-keepers to international best practices.

“In addition, Guyana will be poised to discuss regional challenges to Api-trade in the Caribbean to develop export potential. At the same time, the country will be in a position to promote local Api products to Caribbean visitors to boost the local bee-keeping businesses,” GAS stated.

The programme will include country papers from Caribbean islands and countries; an introductory programme for new bee-keepers; advance sessions on honey standards; trade and fake honey risks for professional bee-keepers, and the use of social media marketing to build new brands and communication with customers.

Countrywide invitation
Chairman of GAS local organising committee, Mr. Neil Grant, stated that participants and sponsors will be welcomed to be a part of this Ninth Caribbean Bee-keeping Congress.

“We believe that this would be a wonderful opportunity for you or your organisation to advance visibility to an emerging sector of the economy and to extend your reach and market share.”

According to the GAS, there is a limited number of sponsorships of congress fees to prospective bee-keepers who are unemployed and have a strong desire to start bee-keeping as an enterprise for their development.

The registration details are available on the acboonline.com website and on the Guyana Apicultural Society Facebook page. The cost for local registration will include all events, sessions, meals and a tour. There are also sponsorship options designed to assist desired participants in finding the right level for their budgets and time. The GAS stated that if a sponsorship level stated is not feasible, they would be happy to negotiate and encourage would-be participants or sponsors to make early contact.