The Kerio Valley Development Authority KVDA will this year release close to Ksh60 million to Bee Farmers in Kerio Valley through their cooperative societies.
According to the KVDA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sammy Naporos, they purchases close to 150 tons of raw honey from the farmers for processing annually.
The authority, however, plans to double up the purchase of honey from the farmers in Kerio Valley from the current 150 tons to 250.
“We intend to buy more honey to meet the demand for our Kerio Honey this year,” said Naporos.
KVDA has also committed to supporting bee farmers in the region, as it seeks to economically empower them.
“We are keen to provide more support to our farmers in the region through the provision of modern beehives. This will not only increase the production of acacia honey but also will provide more financial support to farmers in the Kerio Valley region,” noted Naporos.
KVDA Acacia Honey was recently rated as one of the best honey in the world during the 2022 Dubai Business Expo.
“Our honey is sourced from rich flora and fauna of the Kerio Valley where the African bees produce most the honey from the acacia trees resulting in a golden brown color and hence highly valued in the local and international markets,” explained the KVDA boss.
Honey production in Kerio Valley Region is based on the traditional log hive which is the dominant beehive in the area.
In the recent past, enormous efforts have been put to promote honey production using modern beehives. However, despite the efforts put in place by various stakeholders in the beekeeping industry to modernize the methods of production not much impact has been achieved.
Over the last five years, KVDA alone has produced more than 5,000 modern beehives most of which are in use in the region.
Kenya, however, still imports close to 50 percent of its honey from other countries, and efforts are being put in place by the development to enhance farmers’ ability to produce more quality honey, for not only the local market but also for export to the international market.
