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The women in the sub-counties of Nyantozi, Labong, and Mirys in Masindi District are making big returns from beekeeping. They say it is less demanding and can be done on a small piece of land.
One of the beneficiaries in the bee enterprise, Allen Tulinde, told Daily Monitor that she has never regretted taking up beekeeping.
“As a woman, I don’t regret joining beekeeping. I have benefited a lot and yet I have been doing other things alongside it and yet there is enough market for honey throughout the country,” Tulinde said.
According to Tulinde, who has 10 bee hives, each hive produces between 10 and 15 litres of honey and each litre goes for about Shs200,000. She said her account registers Shs1.5 million every six months.
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There are 260 women-owned bee hives combined in the three sub-counties
Agnes Asumputa, a widow and resident of Labong Sub-county, said her 15 bee hives have supported her and her family since her husband died.
“This business is not like others that require much time and money. Together with my family, we have benefits but the new plan is that we need to form an association such that we can get funding from the government and buy machines for processing honey,” she says.
“People who are selling honey are making profits because the demand is high and supply is low. People should not despise this business because it is profitable compared to other businesses which are capital intensive,” said Goretti Ayesiga, a businesswoman in Masindi Town.
Investment
The Bujenje County MP, Kenneth Kiiza, urged the government to support the beekeepers with startup capital to transition to large-scale production.
Those venturing into beekeeping have been advised to invest in modern beehives because they have higher yields than the traditional ones, according to Prof Samuel Majalija, a lecturer at Makerere University in the Veterinary and animals’ husbandry department.
Economic performance
Honey production potential in the country is estimated at 500,000 metric tonnes annually. But this dream is far from reality.
The Ugandan Beekeepers Association estimates that only between 800 and 1,200 metric tonnes of honey are produced per year due to the current lack of bee stock.
Beekeeping is a comparatively low investment but sustainable agricultural activity. It requires only beehives, protective gear, and simple tools.