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The Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr. Japhet Hasunga, has challenged beekeepers on the use of the bar codes in honey products in order to easily access international markets.
Addressing a recent beekeeping stakeholders meeting here, Mr. Japhet Hasunga pointed out that the bar code was vital in promoting the country’s honey brand in the global market because it provides up to date information on the business.
“Honey products should have a bar code in order to maintain confidence in the international market,” said Deputy Minister while opening the meeting which was organized by his ministry.
Barcode is a capital, machine-readable, representation of data, the data usually describes something about the object that carries the barcode. Item with a barcode can be identified quickly and automatically recorded.
According to Director of Departments of Forests and Beekeeping in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr. Ezekiel Mwakalukwa, Tanzania was very potential in beekeeping due to a good number of forests.
“Tanzania is endowed with 48.1 million hectors of forests reserves, equipment to 54.4 percent of all country’s land of forests.
Dr. Ezekiel Mwakalukwa said while 38 percent of the forests was under protection, 57 percent of the forests reserve was not part of protected areas, adding parks, game reserves and game controlled areas.
He noted that the government through Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) had set up eleven bee reserves in various parts of the country and that local government authorities had set 14 bee reserves in the villages.
“We came up with the idea to set up bee reserves after the increase of deforestation in the areas due to human activities,” Dr. Ezekiel Mwakalukwa said.
Dr. Ezekiel Mwakalukwa explained that bee reserves serve as means to protect forest because beekeepers keep an eye on the natural resources.
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