The quantity of acacia honey produced this year is twice lower than last year. This will most probably lead to a rise in the price of acacia honey, which is among the most popular ones.

Vice president of the National Beekeepers Association Valentina Cebotari has told IPN that beekeepers’ expectations as regards the acacia honey harvest were higher. The apiarists prepared the bee families, but the acacias blossomed too early and, even if they were full of flowers, the nectar collection period lasted for only two-three days owing to the high temperatures. The variations in the daytime and nighttime temperatures were also a problem.

The harvest was by 10 kg of honey on average from a bee family at a time when this is usually of 20 kg. Valentina Cebotari noted the acacia nectar collection coincided with the rape nectar collation and the rape honey harvest cannot be large either. But this coincidence can lead to a mixture of acacia and rape honey and the product will be thus of a lower quality.

She also said that the prices are not yet known, but these will most probably rise from the average price of 60 lei  per kg last year. Moreover, besides the 1,000 tonnes of honey collected this year, there is yet honey made last year that is sold now. Some 20% of the honey is consumed at home, while 80% is exported, primarily to the EU.

Valentina Cebotari noted that now the bees will make honey from linden tree flowers. Linden honey last year was collected in very small amounts. The beekeepers have high expectations this year, but everything depends on the weather conditions, such as the temperatures and rain, which influence the secretion of nectar. Besides acacia and linden honey, there will also be made polyfloral and sunflower honey.

According to statistics, in Moldova there are about 6,000 beekeepers who keep approximately 120,000 bee families.