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Ziya Şahin, Chair of the Central Union of Beekeepers of Türkiye (TAB), reported that apart from honey, about 7 thousand tonnes of beeswax, 4 tonnes of royal jelly, 400 tonnes of pollen, 10 tonnes of bee bread and 10 tonnes of propolis are produced in Türkiye.
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Şahin told Anatolian Agency (AA) correspondent that Türkiye ranks 3rd in the world with 9.2 million beehives and 2nd after China with 115 thousand tonnes of honey production.
Stating that Türkiye ranks 1st in Europe with its flora diversity to support honey production, Şahin said that there are 13 thousand 414 plant species in the country, 4 thousand 319 of which are endemic.
Pointing out that it is important to bring a standard to all bee products in order to justify the success achieved worldwide, to ensure continuity and to boost exports, Şahin said, “In this context, we have been contributing and participating in the bee products studies of ISO, the international standardisation organisation, with 34 countries since 2019. During this time, we started to work on honey varieties such as pine, geven, chestnut, cotton, sunflower and citrus. As a first step, we introduced a standard in pine honey with the approval of TSE. Then lavender and oak honey are being worked on.”
Noting that they are carrying out studies on the honey species in question with the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM), Şahin stated that it is essential to establish a scientific identity in order to compete with the world in honey.
Ziya Şahin emphasised that an important point has been reached in the export of bee products and added, “Last year, 9 thousand 389 tonnes of honey was exported from Türkiye; 32 million dollars income was obtained from this export. While exports are made to about 20 countries, Germany, USA, Spain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Japan take the lead.”
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