Vietnam’s bee honey savours taste of growing success

Vietnam’s bee honey savours taste of growing success

While many farm produce have been struggling to seek the way to reach foreign consumers, bee honey is enjoying a sweet taste of success in the global market.

The Vietnamese Beekeepers Association reported that in the first seven months of 2014, the country shipped more than 27,000 tonnes of honey to 14 countries and territories. Up to 95 percent of that amount, or over 25,000 tonnes, was destined for the US.

Notably, Vietnam’s honey has found its way into the choosy market of Australia, itself a honey export.

Last year, the product finally won permission to return to the EU after six years of suspension.

With more than 1.5 million honey bee colonies as of the end of 2013, Vietnam exports around 38,000 tonnes of honey a year and is among the world’s top five honey purveyors.

About 36,000 tonnes of Vietnamese honey goes to the US every year, making the Southeast Asian country the second largest honey exporter to the US after Argentina.

Vietnam is said to own a number of advantages that make its product competitive. In particular, the country’s honey productivity stands at 50kg per colony a year, 1.5 – 6 times higher than the world’s average.

Meanwhile, honey quality has also been improved thanks to effective disease prevention measures and the application of VietGAP standards in apiculture.

Chairman of the association Dinh Quyet Tam said with more than 2.2 million hectares of trees suitable for honey bees to feed, there is still much room for Vietnam’s apiculture to grow./.

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