Review of Economical and Ecological Importance of Bee and Bee Products in Ethiopia

This review attempted to assess the economical and ecological impact of bee and bee products in Ethiopia in order to support discussion of policy issues currently being considered. The beekeeping subsector has been directly and indirectly contributes to the incomes of households and the economy of the nation. The direct contribution of bee keeping includes the value of the outputs produced such as honey, beeswax, queen and bee colonies, and other products such as pollen, royal jelly, bee venom, and propolis in cosmetics and medicine. It also provides an employment opportunity in the sector. And it has a significant role in diversifying the income of subsistence Ethiopian smallholder farmer’s mainly the small land holders and landless. Beekeeping does not consume large amounts of land – a backyard is sufficient – so it releases people from land-demanding activities and reduces pressure on land. As beekeeping requires relatively lower levels of investment and is a non-physically demanding work, it is also favorable for women and landless youth. So if such like off-farm activity be encouraged through special attention of women and youth, one step forwarded in terms of the country’s plan of Agricultural Growth Program Phase two (AGPII) which Emphasize greater participation of women and young people. Ethiopia is endowed with abundant honey and wax that can be exported. In the first GTP-I period, honey and wax processing and export contributed 26.77 million USD to the economy while in the second GTP period more than 75 million USD is targeted. However, most of them simply consumed locally in uneconomical manner due to lack of processing technology, packaging and transportation.

Keywords: Economical, Ecological, Beekeeping.