REGION 10 is expected to soar in honey production, as local farmers, with the support of the government, are now gravitating towards apiculture.
On Thursday, 22 of these bee keepers were presented with bee hives, in West Watooka, by Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Valarie Yearwood.

This initiative of pushing apiculture in Region 10 commenced in June, with a training, which benefitted 30 Lindeners, many of whom were youths. The training was facilitated by the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Region 10, Department of Agriculture.
These agencies did not let the participants go with just knowledge but continued to provide tangible support and this was reflected in the donation of hives on Thursday. Minister Yearwood said that the aim is to push Region 10 as the leading bee-keeping and honey-producing region. “We came and we thought that it was necessary that we do this training to enhance apiculture in Region 10. All the participants of the programme, they are well set and ready to go and are excited to receive their hives today…I am excited about putting it in the hands of the people so that they can earn from it and Region 10 can be the region with the highest honey production,” the Minister posited.

National Agricultural Research Extension Institution (NAREI) Officer, Sherry Ann Perry, related that honey is a very lucrative market at this time and urged the farmers to continue pushing forward in the business of bee-keeping – one requiring patience and dedication.
Bee farmer, Myrtle Gentle, in expressing appreciation, said she is really grateful for the provisions made possible by the Ministry of Agriculture. “I learnt a lot through the workshop that was done so that I was able to better bee-keeping so I would really want to say thank you to [the] minister and to the Government of Guyana,” she said. Gentle is one of the more progressive female farmers in West Watooka, who takes up the task of cultivating challenging crops such as cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, so as to meet the demands of these niche markets.

The officials toured the bee farm in West Watooka, where they were able to get a firsthand view on the progress the participants would have made, since the completion of the training. The participants were taught beekeeping, apiary planning principles and going into value-added production. The programme consisted of both theory and practical exercises. In addition, LEN committed to assisting the participants with start-up loans to purchase other hives and other necessities needed for their business.