Lebanon

5 November 2008

Al Shifa beekeeping Cooperative in Toul/Kfour (Nabatyeh Kada), founded in 2002, had been facing several challenges in its processing and production techniques such as high level of humidity in the produce, high cost and time consuming filtering processes- mainly due to the traditional equipment being used. In addition, with the introduction of the new national processing and packaging regulations, the beekeeping Cooperative was unable to market the totality of its products.

UNDP through its socio economic rehabilitation and development programmes in the south, embarked in a support project to the cooperative through assistance in the establishment of a modern center that offered new methodologies in production and packaging. The programme also supported the elaboration of a business planning process for the beekeeping and honey production sector in Toul/Kfour. The project, funded by ECHO, procured equipment and state of the art machinery used for honey extraction, honey drying and pressure filtering, pre-filtering, honey filtering and processing, honey filling, honey packaging and labeling. In addition to the procurement of equipment, new techniques were introduced in honey production, honey extraction and pre filtering thus allowing the beekeepers to produce a higher quality honey and reduce at the same time their production fees. Around 1,200 beekeepers from different villages in Nabatiyeh enrolled at the Cooperative benefited from this programme.

"This project is a success, not only it has decreased the time and cost of production by at least 20% and solved all our problems of honey humidity and filtering time; it has also given the beekeepers for the first time a new motivation to increase the number of their beehives" says Mr. Mehdi Tarchini, head of the Beekeepers Syndicate in the south.

The project support is extending its scope beyond the technical and capacity building activities, to address more strategic business issues such as increased market access for the local honey produces, setting up new adequate packaging and marketing systems and establishing new labeling and testing techniques. According to Mr. Tarchini, the beekeepers in Toul/Kfour are looking forward the new phase of this project, forecasting a production increase of 50% or more, hopefully!

N.B: The intervention in Toul/Kfour is addressed in this story. However, UNDP support to the Beekeeping sector is not limited to the Toul/Kfour region.