World Bee Day strikes a chord for Yemeni beekeepers and Sidr honey in the face of climate change

Weather of Arabia - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, said that Sidr honey, known in Yemen for its high quality and value, is in the face of climate change and other practices that lead to the death of bees and threaten their production.

In a report on the occasion of the International Honey Day, she stated that Yemen is famous worldwide for its high value, high quality, and unique honey, whose production may be affected by climate change and other practices that kill bees.

She added: “Bees and other pollinators are unknown workhorses as nearly 75 percent of the world’s crops producing fruit and seeds for human consumption depend on them for sustainable production, yield and quality.”

She confirmed the imminent global threats to bees are cause for concern and a concerted effort is needed to save them. Any action that affects bees has a ripple effect with the potential to disrupt food production systems.

The organization explained that in Yemen, the honey value chain plays a major role in food and nutritional security and income generation for an estimated 100,000 beekeepers in the country. There are more jobs created along the value chain.

Yemen is famous for Sidr honey, which is one of the most expensive types of honey in the world.

Honey production in Yemen increased from about 600 tons per year in 2000 to 2,750 tons in 2017. Honey exports amounted to about 2,000 tons in 2017.

World Bee Day strikes a chord with Yemeni beekeepers

In its report, the organization believes that the social and economic role of honey in Yemen makes bees extremely important. As such, Yemeni beekeepers are following with interest the global efforts to protect bees. Yemeni beekeepers, along with their counterparts around the world, today join the world in celebrating World Bee Day.

According to the organization: World Bee Day is celebrated this year under the slogan “The bee participates in pollinator-friendly agricultural production.”

She emphasized that this day was dedicated to emphasizing calls for global action to support pollinator-friendly agricultural production and to highlight the importance of protecting bees and other pollinators, particularly through evidence-based agricultural production practices.

They encourage the adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural production practices that promote the restoration of agri-food systems and protect bees and other pollinators in the country, said FAO Representative in Yemen Dr. Hussein Jadin.

He stated: Apart from the role that bees play in the production of the famous Yemeni honey, we must also stress the importance of bees in preserving ecosystems. Our support to beekeepers in Yemen through various interventions, promotes adaptation to climate change as well as improvement of agricultural production systems. At the same time, these interventions ensure that Yemeni beekeepers save bees.”