Deadly floods last month that killed dozens and forced thousands to flee hit the honey-producing provinces of Hadhramut the hardest and decimated beekeepers as thousands of hives were washed away.
Yemeni honey is known for its healing properties, cosmetic benefits and contains natural stimulants that has given it the nickname “natural Viagra.” Beekeeper Ahmed Hadi, who owned 800 beehives, was looking forward to the profits the honey season usually brings but instead was taken by surprise when torrential rainfall drowned his farm and killed his son and a worker.
"I asked for compensation, but they told us that the priority is only for the natives of Hadhramaut," Hadi told AlArabiya.net.
More than 37,000 beehives in the area were destroyed by the floods, according to police reports submitted by Wadi Doan residents. Many beekeepers were killed and many others are still missing.
Honey merchants said that the floods will double the prices of honey next season. The price of one kilogram of Hadhramaut honey reached 10,000 riyals ($50).
Prices vary according to type of honey. Al-Sedr honey, usually produced in November, is the most expensive and is primarily exported.
About 17 percent of the honey produced by Yemen’s more than one million beehives is exported, generating $9 million per year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Hadhramaut honey business alone is worth 2.25 billion riyals ($11.3 million) and constitutes 26 percent of total honey production of Yemen.
In a 2006 article Yemeni honey research Abdullah Yareem noted that laboratory studies found that Yemeni honey in particular was effective in treating topical wounds by speeding the creation of new skin cells and the absorption of oxygen.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid) Source: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2008/11/09/59808.html |
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