Mountainous people in Quang Binh escape poverty from honey

Honey bee season

Mr. Dinh Van Thien’s beekeeping “farm” in Cau Loi village (Xuan Hoa commune) is located in the backyard, under the cool shade of trees and near the forest. From February to August every year, the trees are in full bloom, which is also the “season” when bees diligently collect honey.

Many years ago, Mr. Thien worked as a wild honey collector. During a training program in the district to teach beekeeping, Mr. Thien registered to participate and became one of the pilot households in the model at that time.

After trying to raise a few beehives, he found that the work was not too hard, the investment cost was not high, and the honey products were always bought by customers all year round. Therefore, Mr. Thien gradually increased the number, up to now, reaching 100 beehives. On average, each year, his family collects more than a ton of honey, bringing in a profit of 200-250 million VND/year. Beekeeping has also become the main source of income for the family.

Thanks to honey, Mr. Thien earns a profit of 200-250 million VND/year. Photo: Cong Sang

“This job requires carefulness and a good understanding of techniques, regular check-ups and care to keep bees healthy and produce a lot of honey. This is also a sensitive species, living only in a clean natural environment, without chemicals, clean water sources… If I understand it well, the work will be smooth, and the amount of honey produced will be stable” - Mr. Dinh Van Thien shared.

It is known that currently, Xuan Hoa commune has 68 beekeeping households in all 7 villages with over 1,713 hives. Each year, they collect about more than 14 tons of honey, giving a total income of about 1.7 billion VND. It is the commune with the most beekeeping households in the district.

In Hoa Son commune, Hoa Son Agricultural Cooperative has "standardized" the honey beekeeping process right from the stages to produce quality products. Members are committed to implementing from selecting breeds, multiplying colonies, using natural food sources, preliminary processing, filtering, etc. Therefore, the honey products of the Cooperative have been evaluated and ranked by the People's Committee of Minh Hoa district as 3-star OCOP products at the district level.

Promote connection and product consumption

Currently, in Minh Hoa district, there are more than 6,160 bee colonies raised in 13/15 communes and towns. Of which, the most concentrated are in the communes: Xuan Hoa, Hoa Hop, Hong Hoa, Hoa Phuc and Quy Dat town. The total honey output harvested in 2023 will reach more than 600 tons.

It can be said that beekeeping in the district has existed for a long time, contributing greatly to improving economic life and reducing poverty for the people.

In 2017, the Department of Intellectual Property ( Ministry of Science and Technology ) granted a certificate of registration of the collective trademark "Minh Hoa Honey" to the Minh Hoa District Beekeeping Association. Successful protection of this product trademark will help the Minh Hoa District Beekeeping Association to promote, introduce and consume the product.

Many people in Minh Hoa district have escaped poverty thanks to honey. Photo: Cong Sang

However, Minh Hoa district’s honey products are still not widely known in the market. The consumption of honey products in the area depends on each household finding its own outlet. In addition, prices are also fluctuating and unstable, compared to honey products that are certified and meet OCOP standards, the price is still low.

Ms. Truong Thi Thanh Be - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Minh Hoa district - said that the whole district has a large number of bee colonies, producing high yields and good quality honey, but brand building and consumption are still not high and have not been focused on.

“We are actively encouraging people to promote and sell our products on e-commerce platforms. At the same time, the department will also seek and connect with units to guarantee the output of honey products,” said Ms. Be.

Source: https://laodong.vn/kinh-doanh/nguoi-dan-mien-nui-quang-binh-thoat-ngheo-tu-mat-ong-1362660.ldo