"In recent months, honey trading in Azerbaijan has become complicated," chairman of the Azerbaijan Beekeepers Association Badraddin Hasratov said.
"Since the beginning of this year, local beekeepers have produced about 6,000 tons of honey. However, coronavirus pandemic hinders product marketing. Our main market is Baku, but owing to traffic restrictions, beekeepers have difficulty coming to the capital. Because of the pandemic, the flow of domestic and foreign tourists has stopped," he said.
Besides, according to him, the volume of fake honey imported from abroad has increased in the domestic market, which creates a problem for beekeepers: "Earlier, counterfeit products occupied 10-15% of the local market, but now this figure has reached 30-40%. A kilogram of fake honey is 2-3 manats, which creates an unhealthy competitive environment, and real honey producers lose in this competition. As a result, the number of beekeepers is declining. It should not be allowed. Because beekeeping is a strategic field, it is of great benefit to the environment. All over the world, they are trying to protect the beekeeping industry because it benefits pollination. Some in developed countries allocate funds to each bee family to pollinate their gardens.