Iran and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization signed a memorandum of understanding on business development, creation of sustainable jobs and development of Iranian beekeeping industry on Monday.
Alessandro Amadio, the representative of UNIDO in Iran, said the country needs to enhance the quality and added value of its honey rather than its quantity, IRNA reported.
Based on the MoU, a reference laboratory is scheduled to be built and equipped according to the latest international standards for the purpose of boosting the quality of Iranian honey.
“The lab will be built in Alborz Province near the Iranian capital and will benefit from UNIDO’s technical and financial support,” said Hassan Rokni, an official of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Iran has about 6.7 million beehives, producing up to 77,000 tons of honey every year, according to Mohammad Mirzaei, another official of the Ministry of Agriculture. He said Iran is the seventh biggest honey producer in the world.
“In Iran, each hive produces an average of 10.8 kilograms of honey,” Mirzaei was quoted as saying by ISNA.
Some 75,000 bee farmers are active in Iran.
