Iraq/Kurdistan: In Kurdistan, Beekeepers Sweeten Lives as Business Flourishes

Aug 15, 2016 | Rawa Abdulla, Rudaw
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Although the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources does not have specific data about the number of bees, beekeepers and their products, according to other data it is estimated that around 350,000 to 500,000 beehives and 10,000 beekeepers exist in the region. The overall annual honey produced in the KRG is between 650 to 850 tons. This amount meets only 60 percent of Kurdistan’s annual demand of 1,350 tons a year. Nevertheless, adequate weather and efforts by the ministry of agriculture has led to phenomenal growth: In 2001 there were only 151 beehives in Kurdistan, but the number climbed to 250,000 in 2013 and 350,000 this year.