The honey harvest this year will be compromised owing to the lack of precipitation, said Ion Maxim, president of the National Association of Beekeepers. He told IPN that even if the acacia honey harvest was proper, the beekeepers collected insignificant quantities of linden honey.
“The sunflower honey started to be cropped, but the situation here is not satisfactory either. There is buckwheat honey only in Transnistria, but the quantities are also low there. Very big problems are anticipated as regards the hibernation of bee families. Beekeepers will have to invest a lot in additional food that will be needed by the bees during the cold period of the year,” stated Ion Maxim.
He could not say how much this year’s honey harvest will be lower exactly, but noted that the apiarists will experience a situation similar to that of 2020, which was also a droughty year. The state should provide direct subsidies to beekeepers.
Contacted by IPN for a comment, Ion Caldare, apiarist from Ialoveni district, said that owing to the drought, honey harvest can decrease by 50% on last year, while the price of honey can grow.
In 2021, the honey harvest in Moldova was of over 5,000 tonnes. The largest most recent honey harvest was in 2017, when almost 7,000 tonnes of honey were produced. In Moldova, there are about 7,000 beekeepers.
