Bugesera: Farmers advised on taking up bee keeping

A traditional beehive

Leonidas Kayitankore, Bugesera district agronomist has advised residents to concentrate on bee keeping because it brings social and economic development when it’s well done.  

Kayitankore said this giving an example of farmers that have achieved sustainable development through bee keeping.

“To benefit from bee keeping, a farmer has to focus on using better methods of honey harvesting, that is to be clean in the process and ensure smoke free honey,” Agronomist adds.

To promote beekeeping in Rwanda, the government purchased 9000 modern bee hives and donated them to the beekeepers in 2008.

“The government also set up National Beekeeping Council to help bee farmers get advice and access market easily,” explains Kayitankore.

Honey is harvested during the time when flowers and crops are blossoming. The farmer chooses the honey combs full of honey and sells them after cutting them in pieces or after removing honey from them.

Though some bee keepers throw away honey combs, they can be sold immediately or kept until they are many and used for other purposes like fabric waxing, candle making, different types of wigs and in cowhide cleaning process.