BEEKEEPING PRACTICES AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF HONEY IN ZONE TWO OF AFAR REGION, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study was conducted in Zone 2, Afar National Regional State to assess the beekeeping production system and evaluate the major honey quality parameters in different seasons and in different districts of the study area. For these study four districts and from each district four kebeles were selected using purposive sampling methods. A total of 100 beekeepers with different proportion from each kebele were selected randomly. Beekeepers were interviewed using pre-tested semi structured questionnaire and the data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The study comprises two parts including survey about bee management practices and honey quality determination. The second part of the study was the determination of honey quality produced in the study districts. Honey quality was determined following the standard procedure set by International Honey Commission. Forty honey samples were collected from four districts and analyzed for six honey quality parameters in Adigrat Bee Research Center, Food and Nutrition Laboratory. The results of the household survey indicated that the majority of the hives owned by the bee keepers owned traditional hived colony. About 69%, 24%, 7% of the sample beekeepers owned 1-10, 11-20 and 21-30 honey bee colonies per household respectively. The majority (44) of the respondents harvest honey once per year, while 42% and14% of the respondents harvest three and four times per year respectively. Most of respondents supplement their colonies during dry season(71%).The rest 29% do not feed their colony at all. Most of the beekeepers in the study area kept traditionally at the backyard. Most of the respondents (66%) harvest in the range of 21-30 kg per house hold annually followed by 19% (41-50kg) and 15% of the sampled respondents were harvest between 31-40 kg, per year. All of the respondents sell their honey directly to local market. The mean moisture content, ash content, acidity, pH, HMF, and total reducing sugar within the two seasons in the four districts (Abala, Berahle, Dalol and Koneba) are 19.2%, 0.125%, 20.6 meq Acid/kg, 4.4, 29.9 mg/kg and 78.9g/kg respectively. All the six determined parameters showed sample means were situated in the acceptable range of the Quality and Standards Authority of Ethiopia. The main constraints of honey production in the area are pest and predator, recurrent drought, poor extension service, lack of access to improved technology, etc. Generally, despite the problems faced by the apiculture sector, there are a number of opportunities to improve this venture and to increase the outputs of the activity. This is important for a sustainable improvement of the community’s life. Therefore, it requires intervention to change the traditional beekeeping practices through training, improved production systems and package designing for implementation of improved practices. It is recommended that the government and non-government organizations should better to act together to minimize and solve the problems related to beekeeping