Irbid Jordans key tourism industry may have been hammered by
Covid, but the pandemic gave a boost to another sector, keeping its
beekeepers busy as demand for honey has soared.
The countrys 4,000 apiarists have ramped up output of the sweet
and sticky golden substance long praised for its anti-inflammatory
and other health benefits.
Even if there is no scientific consensus that honey helps fight
Covid, many of those infected have used it to soothe symptoms such
as sore throats.
The Covid period in particular had a great, positive impact on
us, said beekeeper Mutasim Hammad, 48, who retired 12 years ago
from the public security directorate and turned his hobby into his
main job.
There was good demand for honey, and people got to know it,
added Hammad, dressed in a white protective suit while checking on
his 80 bee hive boxes on a property in Irbid 90 kilometres (60
miles) north of Amman.
People have become more aware of the value of honey and are
turning to the guaranteed locally produced honey, said Hammad, who
sells about 400 kilograms (880 pounds) a year.
The kingdom of Jordan prides itself on its 19 different types of
honey, including citrus, eucalyptus and maple varieties, depending
on which plants the bees pollinate.
We have about 2,500 flowering plants, said Mohammad Rababaa,
head of the Jordan Beekeeping Association.
This diversity distinguishes Jordanian honey and means that the
therapeutic and nutritional value of this honey is expected to be
better than other types.
Rababaa said the slightly bitter maple honey variety, for
example, boasts very high phenolic compounds and antioxidants
compared to other types, which indicates that it has a higher
value.
Ecosystem service
Rababaa also said that, since the Covid pandemic, demand for
locally produced honey has clearly increased.
He said the sector has a much bigger workforce than Jordans
official count of about 1,400 beekeepers.
The reality is that the number of beekeepers is more than 4,000,
said the professor of Natural Resources and Environment at the
Jordan University of Science and Technology.
They produce about 700 to 800 tonnes annually, or about 70
percent of Jordans annual domestic needs, he said.
We are very close to self-sufficiency, said Rababaa, adding that
imports must be stopped.
A fellow enthusiast, Mohammad Khatib, 49, also pointed to the
pandemic and lockdown periods, saying it helped me and gave me
enough time to learn about bees and take good care of
them.
A French language professor at Al-Bayt University, he now works
about 15 bee boxes in his garden, which he said earns him a nice
side income.
People are lookin...