The region’s first ever one-week training on sustainable apiculture for Pacific beekeepers and Government officials will benefit a nation like Samoa.

That’s the view of the President of the Samoa Apiculture Organisation, Richard Wetzell, who attended a week-long training in Fiji last week courtesy of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Fiji Beekeepers Association.

The six-day training attracted representatives from the  Cook Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu and was run in the Fijian towns of Nadi and Rakiraki.

According to Mr. Wetzell, the training featured theoretical and practical lessons and knowledge-sharing sessions for the 12 participants.

"We are on the way to Rakiraki which is about a 2-hours drive from Nadi," he said.

"There are a lot of things happening at the training and we are doing a lot. It will end on Saturday. 

“Not finishing till 5pm on Saturday. It is a full-on week of activities and learning.

"We have a full week of theoretical and practical activities as well as knowledge sharing sessions. 

“This is all to make Pacific apiculture sustainable so it is great training for Samoa.” 

The full fledged training program focused on queen breeding, honey harvesting and extraction, honey filtering and settling, hives and equipment, value-added bee products, honey bottling and marketing and pests and diseases.

The aim of the training is developing the capacities of local beekeepers and Government officers responsible for beekeeping activities in the Pacific, specifically targeting their needs and knowledge gaps. The activities demonstrated during the training sessions will also provide a solid basis for developing or updating the countries’ existing guidelines on beekeeping and apiculture.

Nilesh Kumar, the President of Fiji Beekeepers Association, said in a statement that the training is important for Pacific islanders.

“This training is especially important as the people in the South Pacific do not get this kind of exposure in beekeeping,” Mr. Kumar said.

“Fiji has a lot of experience and knowledge to share with our neighbouring countries. 

“We are convinced the activities will help them build the industry in their respective countries so they can become self-sufficient producing their own honey like Fiji does now.”

Xiangjun Yao, the FAO Subregional Coordinator for the Pacific Islands, said they are happy to start their first Pacific training on beekeeping.

“We are very happy to kick start this first Pacific training on beekeeping that represents the core values of FAO’s capacity-building activities – south-south, practical and targeted knowledge sharing,” Ms. Yao said. 

We are sure this training will help the participating countries to improve the sustainability, productivity and profitability of apiculture.”

Beekeeping is a widespread and global activity, with millions of beekeepers depending on bees for their livelihoods and well-being. Together with wild pollinators, bees play a major role in maintaining biodiversity, ensuring the survival and reproduction of many plants, supporting forest regeneration, promoting sustainability and adaptation to climate change, improving the quantity and quality of agricultural productions.