Review of Honey Bee and Honey Production in Ethiopia

Abstract

The beekeeping sub-sector has been an integral part of agriculture in Ethiopia. It has been contributing to the household income and poverty alleviation and national economy through export. The country has huge apicultural resources that made it the leading honey and beeswax producer in Africa. Moreover, Ethiopia is a country where apicultural research is being conducted in a coordinated manner under the national agricultural research system. Hence, a lot of information has been gathered on different aspects of the beekeeping. This is a review of various research results that are from published and unpublished papers over a long period of time and various reviews in the course of the apiculture. It has been revealed that the highest percentage of honeybee population is hived in traditional, transitional and modern hives, only the smallest proportion is remain as wild. However, attempts by various investigators and development actors showed that both the production and quality can be improved in terms of transforming the beekeeping system, processing and marketing. This review paper also tried to address both natural and man-made bottle-necks that damage the sector not to reach the satisfactory level. It also tried to identify some of the opportunities that can boost the sector if we manage and utilize them properly.