Kenya imports about 80 percent of honey despite there being a huge potential for the country to satisfy the market with the production of quality honey.
The demand for honey in Kenya has been rising with each passing year. The local market can only produce 20 percent of the demand.
According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Savannah Honey Mr. Kyalo Maveke, over 95 percent of all the bee pollen in Kenya, propolis, and bee venom used are all imported.
“We have such a huge potential in beekeeping. It is just that we have not realized it. At Savannah Honey, our aim is to make sure that we have as much local honey as possible,” said Mr. Kyalo at his office, the Savannah Honey beekeeping center in Utawala Nairobi.
Savannah Honey is one of the leading companies in Africa in terms of honey production. In order to help increase the production of honey in Kenya, the company has launched a subsidized national beekeeping promotion program dubbed “Don’t let your land stay idle” targeting 7,000 clients across the country.
The company says it will deliver and install Langstroth hives at a special price of 5,500 per hive. Provide technical support services including colony division, colony strengthening, and requeening free of charge to their clients.
To make this effective, the company has deployed apiarists across the country who can serve clients within 24 hours whenever the need arises. The company will also provide the clients with a 5-year contract for the market of the Honey, bee pollen, propolis, and Bee Venom.
According to Mr. Kyalo, the program by Savannah Honey will enable Kenyans to utilize their idle land enabling them to earn extra income.
He encourages people to invest in beekeeping because it’s an investment that one can never go wrong if they check against the black ants and honey badgers. Again it’s an investment that doesn’t require any input and labor. It’s not time-consuming and it has very high returns with honey now retailing at 800 shillings per kg, Bee pollen at 6,800 shillings per kg, propolis 1,900 shillings per kg, and bee venom at 4,000 shillings per gram.
People interested can reach Savannah Honey through 0721965337 or info@savannahhoney.co.ke
