Turkey sets Kenyan farmers on path to beekeeping profit

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya

Hundreds of beehives donated by Turkey will help poor Kenyan farmers supplement their income and forge ties between the two countries, the Turkish ambassador to Kenya said Wednesday.

Deniz Eke oversaw the handover of 300 hives at a ceremony in Machakos, a town 60 kilometers (37 miles) southeast of Nairobi that is surrounded by small farms set in semi-arid, hilly countryside.

The delivery of the beekeeping starter kits was organized by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

“Today I am happy to be part of the TIKA program which has an environmental aspect and which has an income generation aspect,” Eke said at the handover at the Machakos governor’s office.

She added that the scheme would also give farmers assistance to market the honey in the future.

Eke said she had been set two tasks by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when she was appointed. “One is that Kenya is our strategic partner in East Africa, so we need to deepen relations in all fields and second we want win-win partnerships with our relations in Kenya.

“This meeting is a starting point for win-win partnerships in our business between Turkey and Machakos.”

Irregular rainfall in Machakos county makes it unsuitable for crop farming and honey production has become the main source of income for many farmers.

Rose Mwikali had just begun making honey and said the new hives would make a big difference to her yield. “The design, the capacity -- they are larger than what I have at home,” she told Anadolu Agency.

“I just wish I could keep them all. I come from a very remote area in Machakos which doesn’t even have good roads but I am glad I am going back with one of these beehives. I will now be able to feed my family comfortably.”

As well as producing honey, beekeeping farmers can also make candles, soap and other products.

A single beehive can produce up to 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of honey per harvest and sells for around 800 Kenyan shillings ($8) a kilogram. Most farmers harvest the hives four times a year, providing up to 64,000 shillings ($628) per hive annually.

Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua thanked the Turkish government and people. “Turkey is a very great nation and a very important ally to Kenya and we have been partners in many things,” he said. “This is bigger than just beehives -- the donation will really help our farmers in many ways.”

Turkey has a rich history of bee cultivation and is one of the biggest honey and beeswax producers of the world. Beekeeping is carried out in almost every region of the country and in 2014 there were 57,000 registered beekeepers and 6.6 million registered hives, according to the Beekeepers’ Association of Turkey.