Iran is third largest producer of honey in world: Official

The head of Iran’s Agricultural Research Education and
Extension Organization said the country is the third-largest producer of honey
in the world. 

“The history of beekeeping and
producing honey in Iran dates back to 800 BC in the western Lorestan province,”
Mojtaba Khayyam-Nekouie said on Saturday.

He added that Iran is currently the third-largest producer
of honey in the world after China and Turkey.

Recently, the chairman of the Animal Science Research
Institute of Iran (ASRI) also said that Iran ranked third in the world in the
number of apiaries.

Mokhtar Mohajer said Iran's rank in honey production is
changing and moving between fourth and sixth place in the world.

Currently, there are about 11.8 million bee colonies in
nearly 110,000 apiaries in the country, he said.

Mohajer said the amount of honey production in the country
should be increased by three to four kilograms per colony.

Mohajer said, “According to the Seventh National Development
Plan (2022-2026), the amount of honey production should be increased by at
least three to four kilograms per colony according to the diversity of plants
and the area of pastures that we have in the country”.

He announced that 112,000 tons of honey, 8,300 kilograms of
royal jelly, 406 tons of pollen, 2,536 tons of beeswax, 247 tons of propolis,
and 3,917 grams of bee venom are produced annually in the country.

Pointing out that Iran ranks third in the world in the
number of apiaries, he said 87,932 people are working in apiaries in the
country, and the output of these apiaries is honey and its by-products.

Stating that all these products are not consumed
domestically, he said about 10 percent of these products are exported to
countries such as Turkey and Arab countries.