REUTERS
Annual honey consumption in Ukraine is 1-1.1 kilograms per capita on average.
Expert in the honey market Valeriy Кureiko says Ukraine in 2019 boosted honey exports by 12.7%, to 55,600 tonnes, with a total production of about 110,000 tonnes.
"Honey exports reached 55,600 tonnes worth more than US$100 million by the end of 2019, which was 12.7% up from 2018," he said at a press conference on February 24.
At the same time, Ukrainian exporters fulfilled the entire annual quota for honey exports (6,000 tonnes) to the European Union within less than two weeks, just as was the case in 2020.
In 2019, honey output in Ukraine reached 110,000 tonnes. However, the figure is not indicated in official statistics, Кureiko said, referring to the data of market operators.
"According to Ukraine's Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry, Ukraine in 2010 produced over 70,000 tonnes of honey, having exported 5,000 tonnes. That is, the domestic market consumed 65,000 tonnes. For all these years [a decade], at least 50,000 tonnes of honey remained in Ukraine. If 55,000 tonnes [of honey] was exported in 2019, the same amount remained on the domestic market. But due to the fact that beekeepers are not properly registered, we see no data on this honey in the stats," he said.
According to Кureiko, annual honey consumption in Ukraine is 1-1.1 kilograms per capita on average. At the same time, the recommended rate per day for an adult is 50 grams, or 1-2 tablespoons daily.
The expert also noted that about 500,000 beekeepers are now operating in Ukraine with a large share of unregistered ones.
Кureiko says the country in 2020 will be able to maintain last year's position in terms of honey production if weather conditions are normal.
"If there are no late frost and weather disasters, if there are enough moisture for lindens, sunny days for sunflower and buckwheat in July, we will collect 100,000-120,000 tonnes [of honey]," he said.
At the same time, the expert noted that the abnormally warm winter could make the bees leave the wintering earlier and weaken them.
As UNIAN reported earlier, in November 2019, Ukraine was licensed to export honey to China. Ukraine in 2018 cut honey exports by a quarter, to 49,900 tonnes.