As the World celebrated World Bee Day on Saturday May 20, women from rural communities in the North West gathered at Luka Community Hall outside Rustenburg, to gain knowledge on how the Beekeeping industry operates as well as its impact on the economy as explained by the Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Desbo Mohono.
Participants such as Lesiba Klaas Ledwaba said bees are not only pollinators, but they also assist with honey production, which is one of the things that small scale farmers or rather beekeepers have embarked on in trying to alleviate poverty in South Africa.
Ledwaba added that he’s more interested in the macadamia nuts planting, as there’s a huge demand for the bees to pollinate them. He said these nuts would contribute positively to the South African Agricultural economy.
Another participant from Luka, Leboneng Masikane, said she doesn’t have any idea what a bee industry is and is willing to learn as much as possible.
“It is the first time that I hear about such an industry, so I only came here to learn. If it’s doable, I will try it so that I can take care of my family with the little money that I’ll be making from it,” said Masikane.
North West Beekeeping Association’s Lucas Radise, said it is important to raise awareness among the youth, adding that the bee industry has got a lot of potential and encouraged the youth to try it.
Mohono said that she’s happy that the number of beekeepers are increasing in the province, and highlighted that there’s a lot of medicinal benefits in the beekeeping sector, in terms of the agro processes.
The MEC has urged women and youth in rural areas to familiarise themselves with the sector, and economic opportunities, saying there’s 80 beekeepers in the province currently, compared to the five there were in 2019 in line with the statistics countrywide.
