Locally produced honey prices rise

Harare Bureau
THE price of locally produced honey has risen considerably on the Zimbabwean market, forcing experts to say that it’s too high compared to other prices on the international market.
“When importing honey from neighbouring Sadc nations, a bottle of 300 grammes is costing $2.65 or less, but the price of honey in Zimbabwe for the same bottle, may go for about $3 to $5, as honey producers seek to recover their production costs,” says Smith Nyatsande, an agricultural extension specialist at the ministry of agriculture.

However, beekeepers themselves are saying considering all that they do to produce the honey, this price is justified and they will continue to peg honey at these prices to support their livelihoods.

The market price for honey has been set at a minimum of $3, but some farmers are seeking up to $5 for their honey, which is a price that is being considered steep.

Nyatsande further said, “in the European market the same bottle of 300g of honey costs a reasonable amount, with Ukraine pegging it at $1.90 for the most expensive honey.”

He said this high price would give local beekeepers and honey farmers a problem when trying to export, because they will have to sell it at a low price, to compete with other prices internationally, which is what they are trying to avoid in the first place.

He went on to say how European traders were shocked at these prices asking, “what’s so special about this honey, that it costs that much?”

Because of this, many small scale honey farmers are preferring to sell their honey locally, because it’s better at the prices they are selling at, which are not being correctly and strictly regulated.