Bee mortality; adulteration of bee products; lack of consolidated data on the sector; need for greater professionalization and absence of traceability systems are some of the bottlenecks in the honey production chain. With the aim of addressing them, the Colmeia de Minas program was launched this Thursday (11) at the headquarters of the Research Support Foundation (Fapemig), an initiative of the Minas Gerais Apiculture Federation (Femap), with the support of the State Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Seapa), its affiliated entities IMA, Emater and Epamig, and other partners such as Unimontes and the Federal Institute of Science and Technology (IFS-Bambuí). The initiative stemmed from the experience of Ana Cardoso, a professor in the Agronomy and Zootechnics courses at the Federal Institute of Science and Technology of Bambuí, who, along with representatives from Femap, began organizing annual Apiculture and Meliponiculture Seminars in the São Francisco Basin, as well as the Minas Gerais Apiculture Circuit, with the participation of Seapa. "Over time, we identified the bottlenecks in the sector and realized that beekeepers had problems that were not being studied, or even noticed by us. So, we sat down and outlined some key aspects of the program," the professor noted. In her opinion, the program should primarily focus on actions that enable good bee pastures, traceability, and a seal that certifies the origin of the products, adding value and greater reliability for the consumer, following the same steps taken by producers of Minas Artesanal Cheese. According to Elizeu Araújo, vice-president of Femap and coordinator of the Honey Technical Chamber of Seapa, they felt the need to organize the sector, which was facing problems related to commerce, production, and quality. “We needed a program that centralized the actions of all the institutions working in the area. We had actions from Senar, Seapa, and Sebrae, for example, but they were all scattered. Our idea is to centralize these activities so that they have more strength and effectiveness,” explained Eliseu. According to him, Minas Gerais has enormous productive potential. Throughout the state, there are 429 producing municipalities; 9,229 beekeepers; 167 associations; 318 honey hives; and 154,000 propolis hives, with an approximate production of 7.54 million liters of honey per year. The idea is to promote the sustainable development of the entire production chain through six strategic axes: governance, innovation, productive qualification, traceability, sanitary defense, bioeconomy, and territorial valorization. “We want to develop integrated, long-term actions that truly transform the sector,” he explained. One of the first practical steps should be the Geographical Indication (GI) of green propolis and a detailed diagnosis of the sector. “We will sit down and see which projects should be part of the program and, from there, seek partners such as Sebrae, the Faemg System, Codevasf, and Seapa itself.”
Public Policies
Priscila Abreu, technical advisor to the Directorate of Productive Chains at Seapa, said that the Secretariat will be responsible for formulating public policies, articulating institutional partnerships, and raising funds, which are also carried out in the field by its affiliated entities – Emater-MG, Epamig, and IMA. “Currently, Seapa distributes beekeeping kits to family farmers, composed of a fork, glove, chisel, smoker, wax, support, overalls, footwear, and beehive,” she detailed. Eduardo Lage Palmieri, agricultural inspector and coordinator of bee and aquatic animal health programs at IMA, acknowledges that “the productive chain is seeking to establish itself in a more responsible and sustainable way. And this is viewed very favorably by the agency. We want to be another partner for the producers.”
Ranking of the main producing municipalities:
1st Itapecerica (460 t), 2nd Bocaiúva (325 t), 3rd Sabinópolis (228 t), 4th Itamarandiba (185 t), 5th Formiga (168 t)
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Minas Gerais is ranked 4th among producing states, with 6,772.3 thousand tons, behind Paraná, Piauí, and Rio Grande do Sul. The main destination for exports is the United States with 82.1%, followed by Germany with 6.8%, and in 3rd place, Canada with 4.8%.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.