Farmers Admiring Honey product from Barkman Honey Limited. Photos by Denis Opoka
By Denis Opoka
Lamwo: Farmers’ groups in Lamwo district are using apiculture to improve their household income.
Lamwo is one of the refugee-hosting districts that is resource-constrained due to the substantial number of refugees it hosts.
To alleviate the strain on inadequate resources, hundreds of farmers have embraced beekeeping to improve their income which is always necessitated by low agricultural productivity, unfavorable weather, and limited income-generating opportunities.
After starting beekeeping, a section of the farmers’ groups said beekeeping is giving them alternative income sources, when crops yield poorly and during off seasons.
Sunday Okello, is the chairperson of Nyeko Rac Beekeeping Enterprise in Apyeta North Village, Palabek Ogili sub-county. Okello’s group of 15 members was established in 2018 and now has 100 beehives.
The members underwent several trainings by various organizations in bee-keeping, honey harvesting, value addition, and quality control, among others.
This training equipped them with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle the bee-keeping project, and they now have a savings association.
“The proceeds from honey sales are deposited with the Village Saving and Loans Association, where members can access them through loans for agricultural interventions,” Okello said.
The group harvests honey twice a year, and earns an average of shs3.6m from the 15 bee hives the members own per season, translating into 360 kilograms of honey per season.
Each kilogram of harvested honey fetches between UGX 8,000 and 10,000, depending on its quality.
The Waci Iwiya Bee-keeping group is chaired by Michael Oyet, and has 250 bee hives that yield over 5,000 kilograms of honey per harvest season, generating up to over Shs 50 million per season.
“The group’s success has enabled me to purchase cattle, goats, pigs, and construct a four-room house for his family,” Oyet said.
Grace Adiyo, a member of the Waci Imiyo bee-keeping group in Apyeta Central Village Palabek Ogilli Sub-county, is a widow who now pays her four children to school using the profits from bee-keeping.
The Vice Chairperson of the Apyeta North Bee-keeping Group, Beatrice Acen, explained that before joining the group, she engaged in bee-keeping for domestic consumption.
Besides getting skills in beekeeping and financial literacy, Acen has gained knowledge of how to prevent gender-based violence in her home and maintain hygiene within her community.
Pauline Acayo, a member of the Mego Lonyo Bee-keeping group and a single mother, reports that bee-keeping has transformed her economic situation.
“After separating from my husband, I struggled to meet basic needs, but my participation in the group and the knowledge gained from training have enabled me to earn a profit,” Acayo narrated.
Lamwo district has more than 280 bee-keeping groups, and 785 individual apiarists, according to Wilfred Ochora, the Lamwo District Entomologist.
Ochora said the district produces an estimated 25 tons of honey annually, which is purchased by various companies within and outside the district, earning the district over shs 250 million from honey.
Robert Okodia, the CEO of Barkman Honey Limited, a company that buys bee products from these apiarists, revealed that they work with more than 8,000 bee-keeping farmers across northern Uganda, with Lamwo being the district known for producing high-quality honey.
The company engages in value addition, processing honey, bee wax, venom, and exporting honey from these farmers to countries such as Japan.
A 2022 report by the Uganda Investment Authority indicates Uganda produces 100,000-200,000 metric tons of honey per year, with potential for growth to meet domestic and international demands.
Globally, the market potential for honey is estimated at 1.8 million metric tons annually fetching USD 7.8bn.
