Honeybee Production and Marketing Systems, Constraints - IPMS ...

1. INTRODUCTIONAfrica is blessed with numerous types of wild honeybees (Adjare, 1990). Ethiopia is one of thecountries in the continent, which own huge honey production potential. Owing to its variedecological and climatic conditions, Ethiopia is home to some of the most diverse flora and faunain Africa. Its forests and woodlands contain diverse plant species that provide surplus nectar andpollen to foraging bees (Girma Deffar, 1998).There is an ancient tradition for beekeeping in Ethiopia that stretches back into the millennia ofthe country's early history. Although difficult to establish a time reference when beekeeping wasstarted in Ethiopia, it may date 5000 years back and the Hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt refers toAbyssinia (the former name of Ethiopia) as the source of honey and beewax. Thus Abyssinia hasbeen known for its beewax export for centuries during when other items were not exportable(Gezahegne, 2001a).The ideal climatic conditions and diversity of floral resources allow the country to sustain around10 million honeybee colonies, of which 7 million are kept in local beehives by farmers, and theremaining exist in the forests as wild colonies. This makes the country to have the highest beedensity in Africa (Ayalew, 2001; Nuru, 2002).Ethiopia, having the highest number of bee colonies and surplus honey sources of flora, is theleading producer of honey and beeswax in Africa. Ethiopia produces about 43,373 metric tonesof crude honey per year, thus shares 23.5% of Africa and 2.35% of world's honey production.This makes the country rank 1 st in Africa and 10 th in the world (AMP, 2007). Currently, morethan 7000 species of flowering plants are estimated to be found in the country, of which most ofthem are honeybee plants (Girma Deffar, 1998). The variety of landscape from raggedness toundulating plain, with north-south latitude and east-west longitude differences, has given thecountry a contrast in climate and consequently a variety of seasons (Gebreyesus Mamo, 1976).Despite the long tradition of beekeeping in Ethiopia, having the highest bee density and being theleading honey producer as well as one of the largest beeswax exporting countries in Africa, the1