Kenya has taken a new step in the beekeeping sector, with the launch of Africa’s first Bee Venom Marketplace in Nairobi.
The new marketplace will help Kenya move from selling raw honey and other bee products to selling processed and value-added products, a move that will help the country create jobs and grow small businesses, a statement from the government indicated.
The marketplace will deal in bee venom, a product that is slowly gaining traction in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and alternative medicine sectors, and this will create new income opportunities for our farmers, cooperatives, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
The announcement comes at a time when Kenya is launching the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda initiative, which aims to improve small businesses, manufacturing industries, and value addition. This initiative seeks to create jobs for Kenya’s youth and women.
During the ceremony, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSME Development, Wycliffe Oparanya emphasized the importance of moving from raw commodity export to value addition to retain economic benefits in Kenya.
Wycliffe Oparanya commended Savannah Honey for supporting the initiative by calling it a “bold and timely move.” He also committed to supporting such initiatives by promising to support various ventures through friendly policies, easy access to resources, digitalization, and cheap financing.
The participants also recognized the huge potential for the value chain for bee products. By better organizing and supporting bee farmers, they believe they stand to gain more from the global market.
According to Savannah Honey’s CEO, Paul Kyalo Mutua, the reason why most farmers choose to work with honey is because it is the only thing they know. While it is true that honey is harvested in large quantities, the profits are far from satisfactory. On the other hand, the amount of bee venom harvested is extremely low compared to the price it commands in the international market.
According to him, the market for bee venom globally is valued at about $370 million, but the African market has not benefited from the product because of the lack of standards, skills, and a marketplace.
To solve this, a new marketplace has been introduced to create a level playing field by providing the necessary training, support, and a buyer for the products.
According to him, a beehive produces about 0.5 grams of venom per harvest. With several harvests in a year, a farmer can collect up to 10 grams of venom from a beehive annually.
The launch of the Bee Venom Marketplace means that Kenya joins a few countries in Africa that are exploring the use of specialized bee products, and for most of our farmers and small business people, the hope is that this new venture will translate into new income and business growth.
