Dr. Gérardine Mukeshimana Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources at the opening of the ApiExpo on 21 September at Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village.
It is the first time Rwanda is hosting the fifth All-Africa Honey Exposition whose theme has attracted several national, regional and international researchers, policy makers, honey traders among others at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village.
Dubbed the ApiExpo 2016, it is expected to happen for five days from 21 to 26 September interacting participants from as far as the USA, Europe, Middle East and Africa in one of its biennial events.
According to the theme participates are discussing and sharing knowledge trade, business approaches, the promotion of apiculture and how it can rather improve and empower the African people.
Many products that can transform life from a few beehives.
In Rwanda beekeeping is not a new local engagement as the country reaps up to 4500 tons of honey every year.
Minister of Agriculture Dr.Gerardine Mukeshimana promised, at the opening of the expo, to multiply the current production twice come 2020.
“We urge investors in the sector to improve beekeeping from a local farmer’s level to a business level. Farmers in Rwanda will benefit a lot from the exposition of other beekeepers from different countries,” said that other farmers have managed to benefit from beekeeping by the use of technology.
She said farmers are expected to multiply the reap after immense knowledge they impart from the ongoing expo.
International exhibitors at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village are again showcasing and demonstrating the relevancy of the honeybee industry to human livelihood.
For many years beekeeping has been subsistence or a hobby whose honey is used as food, medicine and brew but ApiExpo intends to make it trendy to satisfy hungry international markets.
The Expo is happening altogether with the 3rd ApiExpo 2016 AU IBAR or Africa Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Husbandry General Assembly of the African Apiculture Platform and Pollination Services under the theme ‘ Promoting Intra and Inter-Regional Trade of Honey and other Beehive Products in Africa.’ It also learns about honey production and bee health.
The African President for Beekeepers’ Association Harun N Baiya said that among many other impends to apiculture is the persistent use of insecticide in farms which reduces the number of bees and infects them with other strange disease.
“We are expecting to reap much from the continuous support of beekeeping and the returns to the community will be increased,” Baiya said.
