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ROBEEC Ltd

Rwanda Organic Beekeeping Company

Our history:

In 2019, our tour of Rwanda enabled us to notice the following:

Beekeeping is an ingrained part of the country's cultural fabric.

There are many traditional beekeepers in the country, with numerous banana-tree or "modern" hives. We did not, however, come across any experienced beekeepers capable of running a project. Full training will be required.

Native bees, Apis mellifera scutellata, monticola and other local subspecies not clearly defined, are not currently affected by the ravages suffered by European bees: varroa, extinction syndrome, chemical and genetic pollution.....

We didn't come across any gentle, non-aggressive colonies the moment the beekeepers  handled them in our presence. According to our observations, this was due to the various stresses they were under. The hives used, the beekeepers' attitude and the techniques they used during our visits were the main causes. We didn't come across a hive producing more than 16 kg per year (an exceptional result at Gihindamuyaga monastery) and generally more than 8 kg per year for frame hives and 5 kg for traditional hives. This quantity harvested in "modern hives" does not provide a sufficient differential to reflect exemplary modernity. The very high figures, 30kg per year per hive, announced in certain reports have never been confirmed by beekeepers on the ground. We have not visited all the beekeeping infrastructures or all the cooperatives in the country, but the very high production or packaging figures announced by certain organizations do not turn out to be true. The actual annual productions declared by the cooperatives, divided by the number of hives they control, gave us averages per hive identical to the figures announced by beekeepers in the field (simple verification).

 

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All the beekeepers we visited directly, outside the cooperative structure, told us of very low production volumes. The figures are similar in the south, west and north of the country. The east has not been sufficiently explored during our study. Beekeeping education is low in quantity and of poor quality. It does not take into account the specificities of the native bee, nor those of its ecosystem. It often consists of the distribution of equipment accompanied by a few explanations, without any real beekeeping knowledge being passed on.
No raw honey is actually put on the market, as there are no analyses to validate its vegetal origin.
No other hive products are harvested. In some cases, only wax is recovered. Quite often, a significant percentage of the combs are left in the honey due to a lack of filtration. This represents a significant loss of earnings. To the best of our knowledge, if beekeeping is carried out correctly, there are 2 other products that could easily be recovered: pollen and propolis. Even wax production could be much higher than at present.

The authorities have noted that the bees are aggressive and have taken measures that are " against nature ", but the facts prove them right. In fact, mistreated bees defend themselves and become aggressive. They are not aggressive intrinsically (there are many examples of hives next to beekeepers' workplaces or even residences), but it has to be said that they are aggressive because of the stress they are subjected to (poor handling, poor habitat, inappropriate beekeeping...).

Agricultural practices using international plant protection products, which have only been in place for a few years, are killing more and more bees and reducing the country's beekeeping potential. The pollination of certain endemic plant species seems to us to be endangered by this approach. And so is Rwanda's overall bee population!

The humidity percentages measured in the honeys are far too high. We have not carried out any concrete analyses of the PAH or HMF content of the honeys we have encountered, but our experience in the field strongly suggests that they are outside international standards.

As production is unfit for export, only local markets can be supplied with such honeys. Rwandans love these honeys because of their specific dietary habits, and especially for use as a chaptalizer in local beers. Most exported honeys are unstable, given their high water content.

The country's potential in terms of honey production seems enormous to us, simply because there are 2 harvests a year and the country is covered with melliferous plants (eucalyptus, banana trees...). A low estimation would give 100,000 exploitable hives spread over the territory, representing 1,500 to 2,500 tons (mainly organic) for a turnover of +/- 10 to 15 M€ (by way of comparison, Cuba, 110,000 KM2 or 4 x larger, exports +/- 10,000 tons of honey per year, 4,000 of which is organic).

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The reasons for our choice :

With the country's huge beekeeping potential and its expectation of success in this field, nothing we saw suggested any obstacles at any level. Everything was open for us to start our investment in sustainable, organic and fair trade beekeeping.

Pilot project

Year 1 :

Set up 7 to 8 pilot apiaries with 12 to 14 Robeec hives of a size adapted to the native bee. These will be used to prove the potential of the native bee and the country's melliferous potential. This is a necessary and indispensable first step before any development throughout the  Huye district, and subsequently in other regions.

The ROBEEC project is only viable if it takes account of the above observations and is based on factual figures. Its experts directly supervise the pilot apiaries. Only proof of correct production, i.e. an average of over 25kg per hive per year in the pilot apiaries, of honey meeting international standards, will serve as a reference. We will establish the right criteria for sustainable Rwandan beekeeping. It will be sustainable, organic, fair, economically viable and reproducible by local beekeepers.

The market exists both for the local population and for tourists (stores, hotels, direct sales, regional exports, etc.).

Locally, there's no market for other beekeeping products (pollen, propolis, royal jelly, wax, venom). Everything has to be done.
Overall objective of the project :

The creation of a private Rwandan company, operating as a beekeeping business that sells "organic" and fair trade-certified (if possible) beehive products on European and/or North American markets: honey, fresh pollen, wax, propolis, etc.

Specific goals :

  • Preliminary trip to study project feasibility,
  • Company creation
  • Choice of company location (region and village).
  • Manufacture of suitable hives,
  • Establishment of 7 to 8 pilot apiaries,
  • Validation of ecological and technical choices,
  • Write and teach adapted beekeeping techniques,
  • Setting up contracts and apiaries with trained beekeepers and partners of the company,
  • Construction of the company's honey house and laboratory,
  • In the mid-term, creation of an apitherapy dispensary.
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Expected results :

  • A brief feasibility study is carried out to validate the project,
  • A region and a location are chosen on the basis of documented reasons,
  • Specific beehives are made from wood, cement or another local, certifiable organic material,
  • A minimum of 7 pilot apiaries are set up by the company. They have a number of hives adapted to the environment in which they will be installed,
  • Beekeeping courses are written and validated by practice. They are taught in Kinyarwanda,
  • A legal contract is established to enable trained beekeepers to become employees of the company,
  • An organic honey house is set up. It meets the quantities and economic orientation chosen: bulk, jarred, podded...,
  • High-quality, certified organic products are sold on local markets, in hotels and other international outlets, or exported,
  • A basic laboratory is installed adjacent to the honey house,
  • The growth in the number of beekeepers and the production of but also other beekeeping products is effective,
  • A clinic using high-quality, standardized beekeeping products is set up in a suitable location to provide free care for signatory beekeepers and their families, and at low cost in local currency for the Rwandan population.

The pluses of this project :

  • High-value beekeeping products for export (foreign exchange earnings)
  • Jobs in rural areas,
  • Jobs for both men and women,
  • Above-ground production to help non-landowners,
  • Respect for local biodiversity,
  • University projects for students and PhD students,
  • Education of rural populations,
  • An increase in existing harvests through better pollination,
  • And above all, respect and appreciation for the native bee.

16/04/2020 version

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