BEVAC injects over 490m/- investment to strengthen Tanzania’s honey market

DODOMA: THE Tanzania apiculture sector has received a major boost following launching of five honey collection centres. Established with an eye to scale-up the performance of beekeeping cooperatives across Tanzania, the incepted honey- bee facilities and infrastructures have been installed and handed over to five districts within three regions of Tabora, Katavi and Shinyanga.

The 493m/- worth initiative has been bankrolled by the Beekeeping Value Chain Support (BEVAC) project and it has impacted the regions of Tabora (Sikonge and Kaliua districts), Shinyanga (Ushetu) and Katavi (Nsimbo and Tanganyika).

The project, BEVAC is being implemented by Enabel, the Belgian agency for international cooperation through funds from European Union (EU).

During a media briefing at the weekend, BEVAC Project Manager, Mr Stephen Paul, said the initiative was made possible through a matching investment model.

“The investment has received 90 per cent of it fund from BEVAC project, whereby the remaining fund, 10 per cent comes from the involving local cooperatives,” he expressed.

He said each new centre features a substantial storage capacity of 80 tonnes and is fully equipped to ensure efficiency and quality.

“The facilities we have established are outfitted with key cloud- connected facilities including IT devices (computers, printers and cameras) for digital record-keeping and quality assurance tools like refractometers, as well as other specialised tools for storing honey and other relevant products,” he added.

ALSO READ: Tanzania eyes UK honey market 

Out of the injected 493m/-, the manager stated that a total of 424m/- was spent for the erection of the useful centre’s structures, 18m/- for the procurement and installation of the ICT equipment, whereby a total of 51m/- for purchasing of the storage devices.

In his further note, he spoke over the need for critical need to conserve the environment that provides fodder for bees and encouraged beekeepers to take an active role in protecting forests from destruction.

The strategic investment is a cornerstone of BEVAC’s commitment to developing a more quality-driven and efficient honey market and supply system in Tanzania.

The investment has already yielded impressive results, facilitating the sale of 56 tonnes of honey worth approximately 196m/- during the May-August 2025 season.