![]() They are just three to five millimetres in size each but the tiny kelulut (stingless bees) or meliponines hold huge potential of making Malaysia a major player in the global honey market. The bees are much more docile than the ordinary honey bee and can be easily bred on a large scale, said Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) scientist Assoc Prof Dr Wan Iryani Wan Ismail.The lecturer with the Faculty of Science and Marine Environment said the pain, if any, from the sting is negligible and had no side effect. Anyone – even women and children – can get involved in stingless bee farming. It is estimated that there are between 750 and 1,000 people nationwide engaged in this kind of bee farming, and Prof Wan Iryani is optimistic the kelulut honey business can grow into a huge industry over the next 10 years.She headed the committee that drew up the National Kelulut Honey Industry Development Plan 2020-2030 that aims to make the kelulut honey industry a new source of stable and sustainable income. Prof Wan Iryani said the stingless bees bred in Malaysia were from the local species and as such, farmers did not have to import bees and could reduce their overall costs. “Many of our honey bee breeders obtain their resources from abroad, from countries such as Taiwan and Australia. This has its inherent issues. When we import the bees, we also import the problems as well such as the diseases, ” she added. Read more news at The STAR 25/2/2020
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |