THE Philippines is eyeing to prop up its production of natural and artificial honey and displace imports via the rollout of a blueprint which will be implemented until 2016.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is keen on the development of the apiculture industry in the Philippines.

“The Philippines is producing honey at 150 metric tons [MT] per year which is not enough to satisfy the requirement of end-users,” according to a speech by Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala delivered for him by Bureau of Animal Industry Director Efren C. Nuesto during the inauguration of the P10.5-million La Union Honeybee Center in Bacnotan, La Union.

End-users of honey include households, hotels, restaurants and other institutional buyers. The DA noted that the country imported almost 400 MT of honey valued at P61 million based on government figures in 2009.

The country also imports an average of 104 MT of artificial honey every year valued at P4 million.

The major supplier of natural honey to the Philippines is Australia, which accounted for 89 percent of total honey imported by the country in 2009.

Other suppliers of natural honey are the United States, India, Austria, Thailand and Egypt.

Meanwhile, the Apiculture Stakeholders of the Philippines staged its second advisory board meeting in Bacnotan, La Union recently.

The group is pushing for the inclusion of apiculture/beekeeping as one of the commodities of the DA and the Regional Development Council.

The Apiculture Stakehoders of the Philippines is also fine-tuning a blueprint which seeks to prop up the apiculture industry within the next five years. --Jennifer A. Ng