A total of 112,000 tons of honey were produced in 10.5 million honeybee colonies across the country in the last Iranian year (March 2019-20), registering a 24% and 26% growth respectively compared with the similar period of last year.
According to the executive of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Apiculture Expansion Project, Moshir Ghaffari, 2,223 tons of beewax were produced during the same period, registering a 134% year-on-year rise.
"What's more, 3,288 tons of royal jelly were derived from the hives last year,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
According to Ghaffari, per capita honey consumption in Iran stands at 1.3 kilogram per year.
“Based on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ latest ranking, Iran is the world’s fourth biggest honey producer after China, Turkey and Argentina. Iran ranks as the fourth biggest honeybee colony owner after India, China and Turkey.”
The above rankings, Ghaffari explained, pertain to 2017, noting that the Agriculture Ministry has sent new data gained from a recent census to FAO for the figures to be updated and revised.
“We intend to devise mandatory standards for honey production, which will not only help increase the quality of the country’s products but also prevent fake honey from entering the market,” he said.
CEO of Beekeeping Industry Expansion Support Fund Behzad Bankipour said around 1,500 tons of Iranian honey were exported last year (March 2019-20), 75% of which were shipped to the neighboring Turkey.
The official said no honey exports have been made so far this year.
“Over the past five years, Iran’s beekeeping industry has shifted its focus from producing only one main product, namely honey, to producing other bee secretions such as royal jelly and bee venom,” he said.
Average honey production in each modern Iranian hive, the official said, amounts to around 11 kilograms.
According to Morteza Rezaei, deputy agriculture minister for livestock affairs, each gram of bee venom is exported at around $80.
“This sum is equal to one and a half barrels of oil. Bee venom is used in the production of pharmaceuticals, including steroids and painkillers,” IRNA reported.
Around 100,000 people are currently engaged in Iran’s beekeeping industry.
Beekeeping in Iran dates back to 2,000 to 3,000 years, though apiculture as we know it in its modern, industrial form started around three decades ago in Iran. Since then, the number of beekeepers and the amount of honey produced are increasing year by year.
West Azarbaijan, East Azarbaijan and Ardabil top the list of Iranian provinces where honey is produced.
