HONEY as a food and as a substitute for manufactured sugar is in growing demand worldwide. This is partly due to the fact that sugar is now regarded as dangerous to health and consumers are moving away from it. Honey is now generally accepted as a healthier sweetener than sugar. Some weeks ago, this column dealt with the Caribbean Beekeepers Congress; the Congress was held from November 19-23.

The congress was a success and, indeed had many of the features of a seminar. It was opened by the Hon Minister of Agriculture, Mr Noel Holder and there were representatives from Dominica, Jamaica, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and The Bahamas together with a large Guyanese representation. In his feature address, Mr Holder indicated that legislation was mooted since it is only by such legislation would the country be able to expand its markets and improve and modernise production.

Among the items the congress addressed were an introductory programme for new beekeepers; fake honey and some of the risks beekeepers could face financially and even socially, and how could these be surmounted. There was discussion of inter-Caribbean trade and the acquisition of international markets.

Trinidad bans foreign honey and particularly Guyana honey from its market. This issue could not have been resolved at the congress though there is some indication that the Trinidad and Tobago government will modernise its legislation. As an example of how gauchely the Trinidadian legislation works, is the case of Laparkan, a Guyanese company was fined US $3,000 in 2015 by the Trinidad Customs for trans-shipping honey.

Honey is now established worldwide as a valuable health food which could also be used medicinally. It is used in cooking, making of deserts, as a jam, as a sweetener for drinks and even in cocktail mixtures. Medicinally, it is used for the treatment of colds, abrasions and skin damage and in serious burns.

Of any of the Anglophone Caribbean territories, Guyana has the most possibilities of becoming a world-class honey producer and exporter. Its vast forested Interior regions which are sparsely populated could be used as honey farms. The type of honey produced in wilderness conditions has its own flavour. This was the kind of honey ancient man used and which animals like bears prefer. It is multi-floral and contrasts with much of the honey produced in the developed world where the hives are moved to farms to pollinate blossoms so that more bountiful harvests could be achieved.

It is this movement of hives to specialised farms that allow for the production of certain types of honey such as “orange blossom” or “apple blossom”. Though hives are placed in the vicinity of flower farms, honey from specific types of flowers is unusual. One of the rarest of flower honey is lotus honey which is of pale pink and is produced mostly in India in small quantities.

The State should help to stimulate the honey industry by offering it various incentives as well as incentives for new entrants to the industry. There is a need to mount training programmes countrywide beginning with the schools. The State should also explore foreign markets since beekeepers, being largely amateurs, usually do not have the knowledge and capability of so doing.

Strict quality controls should be established so that beekeepers do not adopt the foreign habit of diluting honey with various substances. It should also be pointed out that the industry could provide employment for thousands and a comfortable living for many families. These topics were touched on during the Congress.

One important problem that was not substantively considered is the issue of Africanised bees. These bees have been taking over the hives and beekeepers have to develop new ways of dealing with them. There has been much scientific research abroad done on these bees but so far no conclusions have been arrived at. The public looks upon these bees as dangerous wasps that have to be eliminated.

More education about the bees needs to be disseminated so that there would be less fear of them and more capability of dealing with swarms. Probably, exploring an insect repellent which could keep off those bees may be a short-term answer. The Africanised bees are now an inescapable and unpleasant component of the honey industry and constructive ways have to be worked out to accommodate them.

Caribbean Beekeepers Congresses are useful and their value could be further enhanced if there is a greater scientific input and governmental support and involvement.