By Reporter
Kilifi County government has invested more than Sh70 million towards the growth of apiculture, targeting thousands of farmers spread across the county.
The robust program include the distribution of beehives, training of farmers in bee keeping, value addition, especially with the upcoming of the Sh17 million honey processing plant in Tezo, Kilifi North sub county.
Kilifi County Chief officer in Charge of Livestock Philip Wario speaking at Chasimba ward in Kilifi South sub county where he distributed 167 beehives, honey extracting equipment and honey harvesting tools to a farmers group in the region said the projects are meant to help locals in the area.
Wario said the Governor Mung’aro led administration had laid a proper plan for the establishment and growth of honey and its products both for local and external markets.
“The county is going to establish 15 honey collection centers in 15 wards in the county to ease the process of collecting the product from farmers to enable a seamless ferrying of harvested honey to the processing plant in Tezo,” he said.
Wario said the county has been running a training and sensitization program for honey farmers with an expected good output from them once they start harvesting and taking their products to market.
Kilifi county is known for its finest mangrove honey mostly found along the coastline and also its honey found along the vast Arabuko-sokoke forest.
This is the first time Kilifi county is investing heavily in the sector that had been neglected for long despite its products having a ready market.
The county government official said the availability of the market for the product is catalysed by the Early Child Development Education (ECDE) school feeding program where pupils in those institutions have been taking porridge in their daily diet.
Governor Mung’aro recently announced on the Kilifi Mashinani tour that the porridge will now be mixed with honey instead of sugar which has been the norm.
Because of the demand for honey and its use in the region, Wario said farmers are expected to make huge profits and grow their economy and improve the lives of their families.
