Beekeepers cry foul over fake honey

Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
Local beekeepers have appealed to Government to devise stringent measures to protect their business from counterfeit honey products which are flooding the market.
Most of the honey producers who attended the Api-Expo Africa 2014 in Harare recently, said they were having problems marketing their produce as there were honey brokers selling tainted and counterfeit honey.

They said sometimes the brokers added sugar to honey and this had the effect of forcing customers to shun genuine honey.
Midlands bee-keeper, Mrs Similo Malanda, said Government should come up with a framework to deal with conmen who sell fake honey products.

“Sometimes unscrupulous business people take our packaging and pack fake honey, which tarnishes our image. We end up losing business,” she said.

Mashonaland East Agritex training specialist, Mrs Agnes Madzore, said people were not able to distinguish real honey from fake honey and this resulted in many customers shunning products from small scale producers, opting to buy at a higher prices in supermarkets where they believe the products are genuine.

“The situation is bad especially in Mashonaland East where most dealers sell honey along the highways.
“Some people are diabetic and they are affected after they consume adulterated honey,” she said.

“There should be mechanisms to trace the honey back to the producer to reduce selling fake products. We appeal to Government to intervene and help the situation,” she said.

Manicaland beekeeper, Mr Shepherd Mabvudza, said there should be a Government policy to guide the production and marketing of honey.
“Real honey crystallises. Sometimes retailers also buy fake honey and package it, unaware that the product is fake,” he said.

The Api-Expo Africa workshop presented them with a platform to learn and share experiences with beekeepers from other countries.
Exhibitors included beekeepers, honey processors and equipment suppliers from Zimbabwe, China, Tanzania, Italy, Kenya, Rwanda, Mauritius, Mozambique and Uganda.