2024-08-03 03:59:48
Huila has an exquisite variety of types of honey. Thanks to the fact that it has different types of ecosystems, the department has a rich variety in honey production. However, it is important to move forward in association and marketing channels. This was stated to Diario del Huila by Jesús Antonio Quisabony Mateus of the Integral Cooperative of Beekeepers of Huila – Coapi.
HUILA DAILY, ECONOMY
By: Gustavo Patiño
In the department of Huila there are at least 1,200 beekeepers, people who have been working for the care and reproduction of the Apis Mellifera bee, in addition to the production of honey, pollen and propolis, among other products derived from the breeding of this species of pollinator. However, as the president of the board of directors of the Integral Cooperative of Beekeepers of Huila – Coapi, Mr. Jesús Antonio Quisabony Mateus, acknowledged to Diario del Huila, it is necessary for these beekeepers to associate and work for the benefit of all.
Growing at a good pace
Despite the difficulties in terms of the lack of association, Quisabony Mateus is convinced that beekeeping has been growing at a good pace in the department of Huila, “it is advancing at a very good pace, with the fears that always accompany us due to the use of agrotoxins in the field, but with the firm conviction of moving forward, of continuing to take advantage of the resources that the Government of Huila has given us, through the management of Coapi,” he said.
He added that of the more than one thousand beekeepers in the Huila territory, “there are 170 who are part of Coapi. We have had some difficulties and people leave, people join, I wish we were like the bees, more organized, but in any case there is beekeeping throughout the department, very good projects. We in the cooperative want to work together and associate so that the department of Huila becomes a power in beekeeping and honey production in Colombia.”
A sector with a future
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in Colombia there are more than 135 thousand beehives distributed in the departments of Meta, Antioquia, Sucre, Córdoba and Huila that, thanks to several projects in these departments, are multiplying, driven by Law 2193 of 2022, which aims to promote beekeeping activity, in addition to regulating the commercialization of bee products and services, the protection of pollinating species and support for beekeepers’ union initiatives. For 2022, the agriculture portfolio estimated that on average each hive produces 29 kilograms of honey each, which generates a production of more than 3,800 tons annually, translating into at least 41,480 million per year.
Search for competitiveness
The president of Coapi told this newspaper that the cooperative includes producers from all regions of the department, “In the cooperative there are beekeepers from all regions of the department, from the center, the north, the west and the south. The idea is that we all come under one name, which is Coapi, to be more competitive, but many times they are small initiatives, it is difficult to reach so many people thinking differently,” he said.
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He acknowledged that the possibility of having beekeepers from different municipalities allows us to make known a variety of honey that is unique, “depending on the thermal floors, the flowering, the type of ecosystem, even the bees teach us every day, because depending on the season, different flavors can occur in the same apiary. There may be some flowering of a tree that does not have a very good flavor, it is more bitter, which can change the characteristics of the honey,” he assured and
He pointed out that Huila is a department that has exquisite honey, “with great properties, with great health benefits. The products often deteriorate due to handling, although honey is often recovered because it has antioxidant properties, which makes the honey stay good for a long time,” which is why he also recognized that it is essential to generate projects that promote good practices among beekeepers.
Counterfeiting and adulteration
The Ministry of Agriculture points out that the country’s beekeeping sector only meets 30% of the national demand in the year, since the per capita consumption of honey is 87 grams, so it is recognized that there are marketing opportunities that can help grow the sector, which grows by an average of 5% per year. However, for Jesús Antonio, beekeepers have serious difficulties in terms of marketing, especially due to the presence of companies that sell products that simulate honey.
“What is killing us beekeepers in Huila and Colombia are the large companies that already exist that falsify honey, falsifiers with the name of beekeepers who only know the pot, the sugar and the inks. Adulteration is one thing and falsification is another. One adulterates a product when one mixes it, but falsification is another thing because I make a mixture of other things and I pass it off as the product. Here we have both, those who falsify and those who adulterate,” he said.
Oversupply
This falsification and adulteration generates an oversupply that affects those who are actually dedicated to the natural production of honey, with all that this entails, since it is an environmental preservation service, “this year we had a very good harvest at the beginning of the year, but what happens is that there is an oversupply due to the issue of falsification and adulteration, and it is also known that people’s purchasing power is no longer the same, so they no longer go to the supermarket to buy what they want, but rather what they can afford, and honey is used for remedies, so it is only consumed when someone has some ailment,” he said, and acknowledged that people must be encouraged to consume more honey in their daily lives.
Properties of honey
Honey has multiple properties that are beneficial to health: It is antibacterial and antifungal, which helps fight infections and promotes wound healing. It is rich in antioxidants, protecting the body from free radicals and reducing the risk of chronic diseases. It is anti-inflammatory, expectorant, moisturizing, prevents indigestion and heartburn, and has prebiotic properties, among others. “We need a culture of greater honey consumption so that people are more encouraged, to have the strength to never get sick,” said Quisabony Mateus.
We must join forces
The Palestinian beekeeper insisted on the importance of moving towards an associativity for the benefit of the sector in the department of Huila, “at the departmental level there are a number of associations that do not go beyond their municipality, what we want is for us all to come together in Coapi and also the people who are not even in the associations. The organization, especially when it is non-profit, people avoid it, they avoid it, many times people join only to receive benefits such as those that the government can give and after they receive their part they leave, but it is important that people bet on the associativity so that we all benefit from the contribution of each one,” he said and said that Coapi has been working to expand the marketing channels.
“Currently, we are, from the cooperative, making the necessary alliances to be able to start exporting honey, which would give us a new air, but that is still being agreed upon, it is being cooked up,” he said, “we hope to be able to achieve the marketing channels, it would be great if all beekeepers got together, to be able to respond to the demand that will be created. Because bringing honey from other parts, such as Cauca, is not efficient, people do not like it. It would be great if in the cooperative we had samples of all the honey from the department so that those who want to buy it know all the variety that there is in Huila,” he concluded.