W24: Honey Update

In W24 in the honey landscape, the EU is the second largest honey producer globally, with Spain being a significant contributor. Spain has been producing around 33,000 mt of honey per campaign over the last five years. However, honey consumption in Spanish households has remained stagnant at 18,000 mt for the past decade. The majority of honey consumers in Spain are older individuals aged 50 and above, accounting for 71.4% of buyers, while those under 35 only make up 5.5% of consumers. This is despite the potential benefits of honey for people with active lifestyles. Thus, Spain could have an oversupply of honey in the coming years if it cannot encourage its younger population to increase their honey consumption.

Canadian beekeeping has been grappling with the issue of dying swarms, leading to the importation of bees from Ukraine. This helps the Canadian sector and supports Ukrainian beekeepers. Ukrainian queen bees are well-suited for the Canadian climate, being good producers, peaceful, and winter-hardy. As a result, Canadian phytosanitary authorities have been granting permits for the importation of queen bees from Ukraine since 2020. According to data from the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture, so far, queen bees have been imported mainly from the USA (85.9% of import value), Italy (5.5%), New Zealand (3%), Australia (2.1%), and Chile (2.1%).

Ukraine exported nearly 16,000 mt of honey worth USD 41 million from January to April 2023. In 2022, Ukraine exported 48,000 mt of honey, establishing itself as one of the top honey suppliers worldwide. In Bulgaria, the price of Acacia honey is expected to rise by USD 2.79/kg to USD 11.18/kg in 2023 due to a weak harvest caused by unfavourable weather conditions. In Turkey, beekeepers in Sakarya's Kocaali district have begun producing Çamdağı chestnut honey, which has received geographical indication status. They expect to harvest 460 mt in 2023, with 15,000 beehives distributed across 18 honey forests in the city. Lastly, 54 beekeepers from the Kale district of Malatya, were provided with 9,516 kg of sugar feed as part of the government's aid programme for breeders affected by the earthquake.