Postharvest Handling Practices and Marketing of Honey at Arba Minch Zuria District of Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

This study was conducted at Arba Minch Zuria District of Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia to assess postharvest handling practices and marketing systems of honey. The district was selected purposively based on its beekeeping potential and stratified into three agro-ecological zones. Seven representative Kebeles from the District were selected proportional to their agro-ecological variations. A total of 156 beekeepers was selected using systematic random sampling technique. A cross-sectional study was conducted to generate data via an official survey. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 24 software. The result revealed that most (96.8%) of the beekeepers practiced traditional beekeeping system. Only 29.7% of the bee keepers strained their honey using sieve (68.4%), hand (21.1%) and a piece of cloth (10.5%). Plastic buckets (64.7%), tin and gallon (32.7%) and plastic sack (2.6%) were major honey handling materials. Most (90.4%) of the bee keeperssell honey to generate income and only 9.6% used honey for both sale and home consumption. Producers, consumers, retailers, tej houses and collectors were main actors involved in the honey value chain. Agro-ecology significantly influenced the market price of both crude and strained honey. The price of crude and strained honey in lowland location was significantly (P < 0.001) higher than highland and midland locations.