Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (left), and Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon (second left), observe as a member of the St. James Bee Farmers Association, Romario Scott, explains how a bee pollen trap works during a tour of booths at the St. James Bee Farmers Association’s Healthy Lifestyle Day, held at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority’s (RADA) parish office in Catherine Hall, St. James on Thursday, October 3. Bee Pollen is a multivitamin product that can be used as an ingredient in food items such as smoothies and can be consumed raw.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has allocated 5 million dollars to support beekeepers who suffered losses due to Hurricane Beryl.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, has indicated that the $5 million will be used to provide crucial inputs such as sugar, and equipment and restore colonies.

He was speaking at the St. James Bee Farmers Association’s Healthy Lifestyle Day, held at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority’s (RADA) parish office in Catherine Hall, St. James on Thursday, October 3.

Minister Green said the $5 million allocation will be supplemented with contributions from international partners.

“Through our collaborations with intranational partners, such as Mann Lake Limited, we have already secured some much-needed pollen supplements at about $1.8 million that will help our beekeepers restore the vitality of their beekeeping population,” he highlighted.

Minister Green also outlined that the Ministry will be developing a tool that will assist beekeepers in calculating their cost of production. He said among the challenges beekeepers face include difficulties calculating production costs, which negatively impacts the sustainability of their practice.

“Sometimes when people get involved in beekeeping, they don’t really work out their cost of production. As such, sometimes what they are charging is not putting them in a position to continue to be competitive and also to continue their enterprise,” Green shared.

The tool will be developed using information from a national cost of production study, which the Ministry is undertaking, the agriculture minister outlined.

He says it will be made readily accessible through bee farming associations and on the Ministry’s website so that “anybody who wants to go into beekeeping and is wondering what it is going to cost them and how much they will be able to make at the end of the day,” can use the tool.

Additionally, Minister Green indicated that the Ministry will be providing additional training and sensitization so that bee farmers can “enhance their productivity and importantly their profitability.”

Meanwhile, Minister Green also shared that the Ministry has established a beekeepers' steering committee, comprising members of Jamaica’s various beekeeping associations. He outlined that the committee is mandated to guide the formulation of a new National Bee Farmers Association that will bring “much-needed structure, advocacy and support for beekeepers.”

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