Dak Lak to export 6,000 tonnes of honey

The Tay Nguyen (Central Highland) province of Dak Lak expects to export more than 6,000 tonnes of honey this year, representing more than 54.5 per cent of the country’s total export volume.

Dak Lak expects to export more than 6,000 tonnes of honey this year. (Photo: Internet)

Since the beginning of this year, the province has harvested 5,500 tonnes of honey. Of this amount, about 5,000 tonnes have been exported.

“The total export volume this year is estimated to double last year’s total,” said Phan Ngoc Anh, head of marketing section under the Dak Lak Honey Bee Joint Stock Company.

The Province’s honey has recently been exported to markets including the US, Canada, Japan and South Korea. The US remains the biggest market, importing about 90 per cent of Dak Lak’s total honey export.

“Importers like Vietnamese honey because of its quality. It is not blended with any other materials,” Anh said.

In the recent times, weather conditions in the local area have not been good for honey producers. Bee cultivators have met many difficulties in finding enough flowers to feed bees in the province.

To overcome these challenges, they have taken their bee hives to other provinces for feeding.

To date, the province has brought thousands of bee hives to Gia Lai and Binh Phuoc provinces to feed off rubber plantation flowers. Other hives have been relocated to Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Ben Tre, Dong Thap and Tra Vinh provinces and Can Tho City to feed on longan flowers.

Other hives have been taken to the northern province of Bac Giang to feed on litchi flowers.

Businesses have also lent technical and financial aid to help fanner improve the quality of their honey.

The Dak Lak Honey Bee Joint Stock Company has provided support worth VND17 billion (US$944,000) to ensure quality production, as well as technical help and knowledge on bee feeding.

In return they buy all the honey for export.

Last year, honey earned the province an export turnover of $7 million, accounting for 30 per cent of the country’s total honey exports.

This was the fourth continuous time that Dak Lak has been listed the country’s leading honey exporter.

The number of bee hives in the province has increased to 250,000 by now.

The quality of honey has been strongly improved as new bee species have been introduced. However, to date, Viet Nam has only exported honey, while sweets or cakes have yet to be produced. “Vietnamese honey is dark, so it is not suitable for other products,” Anh said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

Tags: Vietnam export