José Luis Flores González, president of Miel y Cera de Campeche, stated that this season Campeche will produce 50 percent less honey than what it produced last year, which was even lower than the production of the two previous years- Beekeepers have collected only 540 tons of honey this year, and there is only one month left for the season is over.
When it comes to trading, he noted that there is no problem, because although the main markets for Campeche honey are in Europe and Asia, the shipping companies are still operating, and the clients continue to request the product, especially when everyone is preparing for a possible food shortage.
The problem that beekeepers in Campeche are facing, is the lack of rain, because without rain, flowering is scarce and the bees have nowhere to get the nectar, which means that, without rain, there is no honey.
In addition, Flores Gonzalez stated that the Secretariat of Rural Development of the State of Campeche has not given producers any type of support so far inabsolutely whatsoever, although there is already a support strategy for all primary sectors (but not for beekeepers).
The leader of the honey producers said that last week he spoke with local congressman Ambrosio López and told him about the severity of the drought, who, in turn, promised to expose the situation in the plenary session of the State Congress to seek a solution, but so far, they have not received any response from the state government.
According to the Flores Gonzalez, this year could be disastrous in terms of honey production in Campeche, as together with the drought, the emergence of COVID-19 limits the actions that could be taken to help bees, which has resulted in the death of thousands of these insects in the hives of local producers.
The Yucatan TimesNewsroom
