Why farmers are sceptical of bee farming

• …as farmer narrates ordeal in hands of kidnappers 

Bee farming has been described by many stakeholders as a goldmine waiting to be tapped due to its economic and medicinal values.

As expected, many Nigerians were already making fortunes out of the bee business, at least before the prevailing situation in the country.

Experts said honey could be used for so many things, including boosting the immune system, helping with allergies and reducing cholesterol levels. It also helps during insect bites, curing eczema and preserving the skin, among other benefits.

This is in addition to the fact that honey is used as both food and medicine. It is said to contain a number of antioxidants, including phenolic compounds like flavonoids and helps in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol.

Mr Gideon Dagunduro, a bee farmer in Abuja and president of the Grassroots Bee Keepers Association of Nigeria (GBAN), Abuja chapter, told Daily Trust on Sunday that its over 5,000 members, who were before now making a living from bee farming, are now worried about their investment and the way forward. 

Speaking with our correspondent who visited one of the farms in Anagada, Pastor Gideon disclosed that the situation was very serious and called on government to come to their aid in tackling the menace of insecurity and the global effect of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the Anagada bee farm, consisting of five hectares of land, Daily Trust  Saturday observed that many of the hives (boxes) have been vandalised, some harvested and few ready for harvest.

Some persons were also seen cutting down some of the trees used as cover and for the beehives for the purpose of firewood.

Apart from the farm at Anagada, bee farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) also owned farms in Abaji, Kwali, Dobi, Bwari and Gwagwalada.

Dagunduro also disclosed that many of the farmers had deserted their farms due to the activities of bandits who kidnapped their members and demanded ransom. Those who were not kidnapped had their farms attacked and some of the hives harvested and others vandalised by those they said were Fulani herdsmen.

At other times, he said the cattle would be herded through the farm, where they would break the boxes and destroy the structure.

It is because of this that the farmers are calling on the federal government to come to their aid by creating a enabling environment for bee farming to thrive.

They said there was the need for the government to assist them in fencing the farms to protect it from encroachment and distortion.

“Our core problem, and I believe the problem of many other farmers across the country, is insecurity. As we speak, one of our members just called that his farm was vandalised yesterday. 

“These people come in the night with guns and take away our harvest. The attacks have happened in Dobi, Abaji and Gwagwalada. In some farms we lost over N5million. At some point we valued the loss at over N50million. And some of these people are just small scale farmers; and this is discouraging them. 

“Government can also assist to get a secured farm, which will encourage us. Our harvest has been going down because of insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dagunduro said.

He also advised those that want to join the bee farming to do so. And he was optimistic that the challenges would soon be a thing of the past.

He added, “With between N50,000 and N100,000 you can start bee farming, You harvest within six months and make your money. 

“Bee keeping is the gold that Nigeria is yet to tap. With a little amount of money you can start. Also, bee farming can be done anywhere across the country. But if you want to commercialise the process you need a farm, then plant trees, like mango and others. 

“People are interested in joining the association, but they have been handicapped by insecurity. Many more people are also afraid to go to their farms because of kidnappers.”

Alhassan Muhammad from Anagada, also a bee farmer, told Daily Trust Saturday that, “I used to have 10 boxes, but now I have four, Fulani people have vandalised the rest of them.

“Our plan is to fence the farm and put security. One person cannot control these people; they will chase you out and do what they want to do.” 

Asked why people were allowed to cut down trees, Alhassan said, “The owner of the land was tired of harassment from herdsmen, so he allowed some people to start cutting the trees. I will speak with him again and advise him to leave the trees. 

“They are even cutting the cashew trees. And honey from the trees is sweeter and better than others.”

Speaking in the same vein, Ali Dikko, another bee farmer, said the situation had become so bad that farmers were discouraged.

“This is harvest time, but we are looking for other businesses to do,” he lamented.

During the World Bee Day last year, he said, “We were with the minister of state for the FCT, Hajiya Ramatu, who donated some implements to us to boost our farming. We thanked the people in the ministry for always assisting us in one way or another.” 

He also said that because of the challenges they had been facing, the Bank of Agriculture gave some of their members soft loans, adding that although they have started paying back, it was not really enough to make much difference.

“The Bank of Agriculture gave us some interventions last year, about N100,000 each, for some of our members. It was not much, but it went a long way. We are still appealing to the government to help us secure our farms. We would like our farms fenced to stop encroachment, but we do not have the money to do that. 

“Our farmers are ready to give Nigeria the best honey. Many of the honey in circulation are adulterated, but if we are allowed to do our farming, people will be able to get the best. 

“In this farm we used to have over 100 hives, but now we cannot boast of 50. It is even less because of vandalism. This is the season for harvest, but there is nothing really to harvest because we cannot secure the farms. At times when it is time to harvest, before we will come the herdsmen will harvest it. 

“Our plan is to take bee farming to the next level, so we also want training for our members on the new ways of doing it.

“We also need partners to come and invest so that together we can all make money from this farming. I can tell that honey is lucrative, it is costlier than gold, If we have partners we can take this farming to the next level. 

“Nigerian honey is one of the best in the world, but we cannot even meet local demands. The Australian Embassy is talking to us to supply 10,000 metric tons of honey but we are unable to do so. 

“Some Israelis have approached us from Lagos, saying they want Nigerian honey. So the market is available but there is no conducive environment. 

“The land is there, the hives are there, but we need other things, such as fence, security post etc. We have about five hectares of land at Anagada, but there’s no security. Two is under use and the rest is just there,” he said. 

He also advised young graduates, especially corps members, to engage in entrepreneurship training during orientation, saying that bee keeping is among the things they teach. 

“We advise young graduates to be part of our association and learn the rudiments,” he said.