A mediocre if not disappointing 2020 for Italian honey

Decreasing production and generally below expectations, if not for rare exceptions on some types of honey and in particular areas. All accompanied by a market and a rather steady price trend. 2020 will certainly not be remembered for the production of honey. Indeed, beyond a few local exceptions, the negative trend that has been characterizing bee production for some years is confirmed.

To say it is the annual report of the National Honey Observatory on production, which already in the initial graph shows this trend, always down from 30 thousand tons in 2010 to settle on just over 15 thousand tons this year, with only two peaks not exceptional in 2015 and 2018.

A drastic and constant decline in production which for the National Honey Observatory is due to the anomalous meteorological trend, which leaves few days useful for the activity of bees and makes it increasingly necessary to resort to artificial nutrition, with a consequent increase in production costs.
Particularly small, with rare exceptions, are the production of mono-floral honeys, one of the key productions of central and northern Italy. Although the harvest went better than in 2019 - it was also difficult to get worse - the yields were inconsistent and generally low.

A situation therefore not very comforting, to which is added a not very lively market and a trend in wholesale prices which tend to be steady if not downwards even compared to the first transitions of late summer and early autumn.