FUNAAB empowers Ogun communities on bee farming

Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) has trained scores of aspiring bee farmers in Ogun State communities and donated bee-keeping equipment and costumes to the trainees.

The university says the gesture is part of efforts geared towards the provision of sustainable, agriculture-based means of livelihood for people and to increase Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.

According to Emi Alawode, head, directorate of public relations, FUNAAB, the training and empowerment on bee rearing was conducted by FUNAAB Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC) for farmers from Odeda Local Government, including Ijo-Agbe, Ilawo, Boonu-Ola, Tigba, Olorunsogo, Asebi-Sotan Titun, Opeji communities, and some staff members of Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme (OGADEP).

She said the trainees were taken on apiary selection, establishment and management, honey and traditions, medicinal uses and beekeeping practice, and value addition, packaging and marketing of bee hive products, saying only Ijo-Agbe farming community was given two sets of bee-keeping equipment with complete set of costumes for bee rearing.

Speaking at the training and empowerment programme held at Alabata campus in Abeokuta, Carolyn Afolami, a professor and director of AMREC, identified the need to train farmers on ways of diversifying their resources in order to reduce the risks associated with absolute dependence on conventional crop and animal production, as sources of income.

Afolami said bee-keeping required little land space and would be an ideal enterprise for small scale and resource-poor farmers, adding that the training would further boost the population of bee-keeping farmers and increase the production of adequate quantity and quality honey to meet the increasing demand of consumers and industries.

Apart from the environmental benefits of increasing yield through pollination by bees, bee keepers would also enjoy additional economic benefits of supplying raw materials for the production of alcoholic beverages, feed for livestock, drug ingredients and cosmetics, among others, she said.

Presenting the equipment, Jacob Olaoye, programme leader, Training and Farm Demonstrations (TFD) of AMREC, emphasised that 60 percent of proceeds from the beehives will be kept by the community for other agricultural pursuits, while the remaining 40 percent would come to AMREC to further empower other communities.

RAZAQ AYINLA