Myanmar Honey Guide

In 2012, Tag International Development, together with Mashav, an Israel international cooperation agency, contacted the Myanmar government and explained their intention to train the rural population in modern techniques of beekeeping for the increase of household incomes in the target area and to create a new livelihood. Mr. Shaike Stern from Israel came to Myanmar again as an expert in the Plan Bee project.

The government agreed to the project and the Livelihood and Food Security Fund (LIFT) agreed to fund it. Then, Tag International Development, together with Apiculture, Livestock Breeding, and Veterinary Department as associate partners and local NGOs Parami Development Network (PDN) and Danu Literature, Culture and Regional Development Associations as implementation partners started the Plan Bee project in early 2013 till now.

In recent years, Myanmar's authorities have strengthened their capacity to implement the sanitary controls necessary to guarantee honey exports. ARISE Plus Myanmar works closely with these authorities, organizing training sessions and developing tools such as checklists and guidelines for Good Beekeeping Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices as well as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.

So far, more than 100 stakeholders from the honey sector attended the capacity-building activities of the project where experts from the International Trade Centre assisted the Apiculture Development Division in their reporting and laboratory testing in Germany.

ARISE Plus also supports the Government of Myanmar in issuing the public health attestation (veterinary certificate) that must accompany each honey export.

Sources: 

Challenges of exporting honey from Myanmar by U Myint Than, Apiculture Resources and Business Center

There are over 900 registered beekeepers in Myanmar. The raw honey is collected into the plastic drum packaging and delivered to the honey processing factories.

Myanmar has nine processing factories in Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay, Yangon, and Sagaing regions and Shan State. Of them, a state-owned factory is offering purifying and packaging services for small-scale honey traders, and the remaining eight factories are processing honey for the domestic market as well as exports.

All honey farms and factories follow the guideline of the Codex standard for honey (Codex, 2001) by European Honey. That provides the know-how of food safety systems, manufacturing quality control in production stages, ensures the honey is free from pests, pesticide, and chemical residues, improves GMP in a value-adding chain.  

Myanmar can now export honey to the European Union (EU) according to an EU Commission Decision made on 29 July 2020.

Implemented by the International Trade Centre, the EU-funded ARISE Plus Myanmar project supports the private and public sectors in the country in boosting their exports of honey products within the economic space of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and to the EU and global markets.

The EU approved Myanmar's National Residue Monitoring Plan for the importation of honey produced in Myanmar. Myanmar honey producers receiving orders from European countries can now sell and export their products, provided they meet the EU safety and quality requirements as well as standards for honey production.

'It is a milestone for the country that the EU recognizes the National Residue Monitoring Plan as a reliable instrument to monitor chemical residues in honey,' says Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre. 'This is what creating added value is all about and I am pleased that we may now be able to sample this amazing product in Europe.' Dr. Johann Hesse, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Myanmar, says, 'Ensuring EU food safety and quality requirements through every level of the food supply chain is challenging, but rewarding. Myanmar beekeepers now have access to a market of 450 million consumers looking for quality products. Welcome to the EU!'

The approval is significant because it stands for safety in line with stringent EU food production requirements. It also promotes market competitiveness: two years ago, buyers from the EU showed their interest in buying honey from Myanmar but the country was not officially listed for honey exports to the EU. Now, beekeepers, collectors, and honey exporters can benefit.

The global honey market is projected to attain a remarkable value of USD 13.57 billion by the year 2030, with a steady Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.3% throughout the forecast period. This surge is largely attributed to the escalating demand for wholesome and natural alternatives to traditional sugars, driven by the health-conscious consumer base. Furthermore, the surge in the popularity of vegan and organic honey products, spanning soups, challah, and hot toddy, is anticipated to invigorate the market's overall growth trajectory.

Due to the health crisis caused by COVID-19, super or healthy foods, such as honey and other bee products, have gained increasing interest from the public. This has resulted in higher international prices for honey - and Myanmar has the opportunity to grow its export linkages in the product if it ensures internal sanitary control mechanisms for its honey production.

Myanmar exported honey worth US$1.68 million to the European Union market in 2022. Arise Plus Myanmar Trade-Related Assistance project implemented by the International Trade Centre and the Department of Consumer Affairs Department under the Ministry of Commerce are contributing to the sustainable growth of the honey market, suggestions to penetrate EU market and implementation of GBP, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Myanmar honey production and export is expected to double within 5 years.