Zambian honey continues to experience growing demand in overseas market

The growing demand for Zambian honey in the overseas market is astonishing. The Zambian Development Agency recently said that in foreign markets such as China and other nations is on the rise.

According to Perry Mapani, Director-General of the Zambia Development Agency, the number of Chinese importers looking for honey from Zambia is going up. The agency is working with the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry and International Trade Centre (ITC) to inflate the sector (by embarking on various programs) and create efficiency in the production and supply of honey.

"As an agency, we are working in line with the Seventh National Development Plan to diversify the economy. The honey sub-sector is among the other priority areas which have been pointed out by the government to drive the diversification agenda," Perry Mapani opined.

He further said that the agency is also working with other sector players such as the financing institutions to provide finances for the entrepreneurs in the honey sector in order to boost their capacity to satisfy both the local and international markets. The opportunities for bee-keeping and agriculture in general in Zambia are immense due to the favourable climatic conditions, Xinhua reported.

The export of organic honey followed the signing of an export protocol by Zambia and China on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit. Currently, Zambia's annual honey production is about 2, 500 tonnes and the southern African nation exports 1,000 tonnes to the European and African markets, leaving a surplus of 1,500 tonnes.