DUSHANBE, 20.06.2023 (NIAT Khovar) – The Founder of Peace and National Unity — Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, participated and spoke at the beekeeping seminar-consultation in Khovaling district of Khatlon Province.

The seminar-consultation of beekeepers of the country took place in the beautiful land of Khovaling during the harvest season of agricultural crops, including honey.

It was emphasized that the Government of the country, taking into account the presence of abundant natural resources, historical sites, rare monuments and beautiful nature of this country, has paid special attention to the development of the tourism industry in its territory, and has taken measures to build the necessary infrastructure and, on this basis, to attract as many domestic and foreign tourists as possible.

During the period of independence, more than 460 million somoni were allocated from the state budget for social and economic development of Khovaling district.

President Emomali Rahmon, taking the stock of the events in honor of the 30th anniversary of state independence in Khovaling district, emphasized that in order to fully prepare for the celebration of the great national holiday — the 35th anniversary of state independence, the construction of 202 more structures and buildings of various purposes is planned.

From this number, 20 facilities, including a number of facilities in the fields of education, healthcare, industry and communication, have been built and commissioned.

The presence of mountain springs and streams, a large area of trees and medicinal plants and other natural resources of the country provide a favorable basis for the development of beekeeping in the country, for increasing of the number of bee families to 600 thousand and the production of honey to 14 thousand tons per year.

It should be said that more than 10 million somoni were financed from the state budget for the implementation of programs for the development of the beekeeping industry.

As a result of the implementation of industry development programs, in 2022 the number of bee families in all forms of farming in the country increased to 264 thousand and honey production to 4.6 thousand tons, which compared to 1991, the number of bee colonies increased by 4.3 times, honey production by 7.7 times, and the productivity of bee colonies by 1.8 times.

The President of the country emphasized that, taking into account the conditions and possibilities of Tajikistan, these indicators are not satisfactory.

It should be said that the development of the beekeeping industry contributed to the creation of new jobs, and more than 10,000 residents of the country were provided with jobs and improved their living standards due to this industry alone.

The Ministry of Agriculture, together with other ministries and departments and executive bodies of state authority of regions, cities and districts, has been tasked to ensure the timely and full implementation of the activities of the adopted sectoral program for 2023-2027, taking into account the abundant opportunities for the development of the sector to significantly implement additional measures to increase honey production.

The Ministry of Agriculture, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Tajikistan, and the executive bodies of state authority of regions, cities and districts were instructed to implement the complex use of bee families, in addition to the production of the main product — honey, to obtain by-products of beekeeping, including flower nectar, glue and introduce bee venom widely.

It is worth mentioning that with the support of the Government of the country, the field of beekeeping has been revived, and it has become a part of our national culture in accordance with the ceremonies and holidays of the republic.

Tajik honey has won awards at many international exhibitions for its high quality, good taste and environmental friendliness.

The Food Safety Committee, the «Tojikstandard» Agency, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and the executive bodies of state authority of cities and districts, were instructed to take the necessary measures to establish a national laboratory with international accreditation.

It was also ordered to take measures to increase the volume of export of honey and other types of beekeeping products.

In the end, the President of the country emphasized that the implementation of the mentioned measures and instructions given in today’s consultation are important for the further sustainable development of all sectors of the national economy, including the agriculture sector and the beekeeping sector in the country that require high responsibility.