Beekeeping: risk of honey shortage in 2021
Audio 01:38
Bee foraging on a coriander flower, in the Paris region, the high mortality of bees is causing great concern in France and in Europe.
(Illustrative image) RFI / Elisa Drago
By: Altin Lazaj
4 min
French beekeepers are facing a historic crisis.
Because of climate change, honey production should be particularly low in 2021. France is no exception.
This year, several countries hit by drought and fires will also experience a drop in their honey production.
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The unions are sounding the alarm: according to the National Union of French beekeeping, in 2021, honey production in France is expected to drop by around 60% to 90% compared to last year .
Union vice-president Dominique Cena estimates production should be well below 10,000 tonnes this year.
This massacre is due to the weather disturbance.
The first six months of the year were marked by severe frosts in spring which hampered flowering and the development of bee colonies.
Then, the excessive rains in May and June reduced the production of nectar and prevented the bees from leaving the hives.
Exceptionally: this shortage of honey forces beekeepers to feed the bees with sugar and glucose syrup.
This loss of production will inevitably push the prices of honey upwards.
Globally, production is also expected to decline this year
In Turkey, the world's second largest producer, beekeepers are suffering from drought and fires that have devastated vegetation and entire forests.
A phenomenon experienced by other large producers such as the United States, sixth in the world.
In North Dakota, the main honey-producing state in the United States, the harvest will be lower this year due to the drought that affected the summer.
A context that could encourage an increase in honey exports from China, the world's largest producer and exporter.
A honey often pointed out by European beekeepers who consider it fraudulent due to the addition of sugar.
Consumers must therefore be careful.
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