FAO boosts Dominica beekeepers with key equipment to enhance honey production

Dominica: The Food and Agriculture Organisation has donated critical equipment to local beekeepers in Dominica through the National Beekeepers Cooperative to enhance their capacity to expand and improve operations.

The donation has been made through the Ministry of Agriculture under the Project Building Effective Resilience for Human Security in the Caribbean Countries-The Imperative of Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in a Strengthened Agriculture and related Sectors.

According to the information, one of the major goals of the project is to ensure Enhanced Human Security, through Gender Equality and Women Economic Empowerment in a Resilient and Value Adding Agricultural Sector in the Caribbean.

The Agriculture Ministry in Dominica chose this commodity as the demand for honey and related products have been increased and the processing and packaging has allowed for local honey to be more competitive and market access ready.

The Ministry noted that honey is also positioned as a resilient food source which is ideal for small holder farmers and agriculture related small businesses. 

The beekeepers received several equipment including 150 deep boxes, 300 frames, 15 queen excluders, 10 beekeeping suits, 10 hive tools, 1 filter set, 10 gloves, 10 smokers, 1 extractor and an assortment of knives, pails etc. 

As part of the project, in 2022 the Cooperative was also supported with several members participating in the Beekeepers Regional Congress held in Grenada. 

It is now being said that this donation will help the cooperative to thrive and enhance their productivity, eventually producing more honey and selling it in the local market. 

The Cooperative expressed its sincere gratitude to the Ministry and the Food and Agriculture Organisation for this generous donation during the handover ceremony. 

The officials from the cooperative were seen very delighted and motivated to enhance their working operations while producing more honey with an aim to export it to the sister islands in the near future.