"Sweet honey" of the highlands

Located at an altitude of over 1,000 meters above sea level, Mu Cang Chai district is not only famous for its magnificent terraced rice fields but also for its ideal conditions for developing beekeeping for honey production. With a cool climate, rich forest ecosystem, and abundant natural flowers, the local people are gradually effectively exploiting the local potential, transforming beekeeping into a new, green, and sustainable economic development direction.

>> Mu Cang Chai honey, a gift from "Mother Nature"

>> Mu Cang Chai elevates its key agricultural products.

Mu Cang Chai is blessed with diverse flora, especially flowering plants such as cardamom, hawthorn, peach, plum, and Acanthopanax (also known as the bird's foot flower, or in medicine, the five-leafed ginseng)... creating a rich source of natural pollen for bees. Importantly, the beekeeping methods are almost entirely natural, without the use of antibiotics or chemicals, contributing to the preservation of the authentic flavor and ensuring safety for consumers.

The local people, mainly the Hmong ethnic group, have long been involved in beekeeping using traditional methods that are close to nature. This approach both preserves the local culture and creates a unique flavor for the honey produced in this highland region.

Mr. Sung A Khay from Khao Mang commune said: "My family currently has about 60 beehives, harvesting three times a year, yielding about 700 kg of honey, bringing in over 80 million VND. Beekeeping is easy and not expensive, but it's important to protect the forest well so that there are many bees and the honey is fragrant."

Mr. Khay, like many other households, believes that beekeeping not only provides income but also helps raise awareness of forest protection – the habitat of bees and the source of livelihood for the people.

Recognizing the potential of beekeeping, in recent years, Mu Cang Chai district has intensified its efforts in promoting and supporting bee breeds, as well as providing training on beekeeping techniques, care, and honey harvesting for local people. Regular training courses are organized, combined with demonstration models to make it easier for people to access and apply the knowledge. As a result, many households have shifted from spontaneous beekeeping to more structured beekeeping, improving productivity and honey quality. Currently, the entire district has approximately 6,500 bee colonies, with an average honey production of 65-80 tons per year, raised in semi-natural or completely natural conditions, concentrated in the communes of Khao Mang, Nam Khat, La Pan Tan, De Xu Phinh, etc.

Along with developing the beekeeping profession, the people of Mu Cang Chai have also begun to pay attention to the added value from bee products. Besides pure honey, some households also harvest beeswax, pollen, and process beeswax-infused liquor, creating diverse, handcrafted products with a distinct mountain flavor, bringing in tens of billions of dong annually for beekeepers.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hang, a customer in Hanoi, shared: "I regularly order Mu Cang Chai honey because of its very distinctive flavor, light aroma, and delicate sweetness. Most importantly, the product is completely natural and free from adulteration, so I feel very secure using it for my whole family. Since discovering Mu Cang Chai honey, I almost never use any other kind."

Recognizing the efforts of the local community and people, Mu Cang Chai honey has been granted a Geographical Indication Certificate by the Intellectual Property Office – affirming the quality, characteristics, and unique value of the product associated with the natural conditions and traditional production methods. In addition, Mu Cang Chai honey has also achieved OCOP 3-star provincial standard – an important step towards expanding production, increasing competitiveness, and aiming for export markets in the future.

Notably, beekeeping in Mu Cang Chai is gradually being integrated with ecotourism development. Many households have built experiential tourism models that allow visitors to tour beehives, harvest honey, and enjoy fresh honey right in the forest. These simple yet attractive experiences not only generate additional income but also contribute to promoting local products and culture, and enhance the value of highland agricultural products.

However, for beekeeping to develop stably and sustainably, local authorities and people need to continue investing in science and technology, diversifying products, and building brands associated with community tourism. Most importantly, the awareness of protecting the forest – a vital element for bees to thrive and produce sweet honey – must become a shared understanding within the community. As long as the forest remains green, bees will continue to fly, and the honey will remain sweet, beekeeping in Mu Cang Chai will forever remain a "sweet nectar" in the economic development journey of this highland rural area.

Hong Oanh

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/12/349730/Mat-ngot-vung-cao.aspx