Though honey exports
offer potentially large opportunities, as demand and price for honey is growing
internationally, certification has become a key barrier for export.
As Nepal produces large
quantities of high quality uncontaminated honey which could fetch high prices,
its certification to meet international standards will boost exports, said
programme officer of UNDP Nabina Shrestha.
Despite being listed in
the NTIS products list, in recent times, honey export has seen a plunge as
according to Trade and Export Promotion Centre's (TEPC) data, the country had exported
honey worth only Rs 5,000 in the eight months of the current fiscal year,
against exports of Rs 215,000 in the same period of last fiscal year.
Organic Certification
Nepal — in coordination with Micro Enterprise Development Programme (MEDEP) —
is helping with the production, collection, and processing of honey, whereas
the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has also sent a Residue
Monitoring Plan to the European Commission for its approval.
"Organic
Certification Nepal — a registered national company linked to international
certification agencies through an alliance called the Certification Alliance —
is subcontracted to provide organic certification," it said, adding that
honey produced under the strict supervision of certified inspectors is further
certified as organic honey.
Organic honey produced
especially in the far western region, has a large potential in international
niche markets and can be sold at relatively high prices, but quality
certification is a must for importers, especially the European Union (EU),
which has stringent regulations relating to the production and trade of honey.
Currently, only 40 non-EU countries are eligible to export honey to the EU.
The main global
standards that apply to the export of honey are the Codex Alimentarius, which
defines what honey is, sets maximum levels for moisture content, sugar, and
water soluble solids, lists contaminants, and defines hygiene and other
standards.
Both the Codex
Alimentarius and the EU have set strict limits on the residues of veterinary
drugs, pesticides, and heavy metals in honey and demand that exporting
countries have systems in place to monitor residues. The EU requires monitoring
for the presence of residues throughout production, collection, and processing.
As much of the honey
produced in Nepal is organic or almost organic by default because of the low
use of inputs, certification will help promote its export, Shrestha added.
Suppliers who want to
export organic honey to the international market need to have their products
certified as meeting organic production standards. The main purpose of organic
certification is to assure quality and prevent fraud. Most organic certification
is carried out by third party certifying agencies.
According to a MEDEP
report, Nepal produces 10,000 tonnes of honey annually. An estimated 125,000
beehives have been installed by farmers.
Nepali honey can beat
other competitors in the international market due to its unique flavour because
of the climatic conditions and flora. "It has also improved the
socioeconomic conditions of poor farmers," said Shrestha, adding that
their increasing income has helped improve their living standard too.
According to a micro
entrepreneur of Aalital in Dadeldhura, Yagya Bahadur Bohara, his economic
condition has changed due to beekeeping that he started some 12 years ago.
"I earn Rs 200,000 to Rs 250,000 annually, which has brought significant
changes in my lifestyle," he said, adding that the increased income —
apart from agriculture — has helped him take care of the education and health
needs of his children. "I have also provided employment to three
people."
Definition of honey
Honey is defined and
described by the inter-governmental body for global food standards — the Codex
Alimentarius Commission — as the natural sweet substance produced by honeybees
from the nectar of plants or from secretions of living parts of plants or
excretions of plant sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which the
bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own,
deposit, dehydrate, store, and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature.
Honey consists essentially of different sugars, predominantly fructose and
glucose as well as other substances such as organic acids, enzymes, and solid
particles derived from honey collection. The colour of honey varies from nearly
colourless to dark brown. The consistency can be fluid, viscous or partly to entirely
crystallised. The flavour and aroma vary, but are derived from the plant origin.
— (Source: CAC 2001)
Production over the
years
Year — Tonne
2004 — 577
2005 — 600
2006 — 650
2007 — 650
2008 — 1,000
2009 — 850
2010 — 1,100
(Source: Food and
Agriculture Organisation 2012)
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