Glamocic: Honey exports generate more revenue than meat

BELGRADE – The Sixth Governmental Beekeeping Fair, bringing together a total of 97 participants from all over Serbia, was opened by Serbian Agriculture Minister Dragan Glamocic at the Belgrade Fair on Saturday.

Glamocic said that 2013 saw a record export of 3.371 tons of honey, which generated a USD 15 million revenue. This, he said, is more than what came from the exports of beef and pork put together.

He said that last year also saw an increase in the number of beehives with the manufacturers, stressing that the ministry has recognized their efforts and production improvement and that it started an extraordinary inspection control of honey in retail chains.

All parameters of quality and possible presence of antibiotics in honey are subject to control, the agriculture minister said.

“We will have initial results next week and we will make them public,” Glamocic said.

Glamocic said that an objective is to increase the number of apiaries, and that the ministry will continue to improve relevant legislation.

Rodoljub Zivadinovic, president of the Serbian Federation of Beekeeping Organizations, said that events such as today's trade fair are becoming increasingly important and beekeeping keeps producing better and better results.

In 2007, Zivadinovic said, the average number of beehives per producer was 29, last year it was 49. The number of bee products producers is also on the increase, he added.

This year’s Governmental Beekeeping Fair is taking place on March 8-9.

Photo Tanjug, J. Pap