The output of honey in Slovakia this year is above average, meaning there will be enough domestic honey to supply the market, Slovak Agricultural and Food Chamber spokesperson Jana Holeciova told TASR newswire.
Following a series of years that had poor yield, Slovak beekeepers have finally lived to see a better season. Nevertheless, apiculturists from southern Slovakia are somewhat less happy with the growth of key plants - rapeseed, acacias and sunflowers - disappointed in what was probably the hottest and driest year in modern Slovak history.
Meanwhile, apiarists in woodlands, relying mainly on honeydew (a sugar-rich sticky liquid produced by aphids and some other insects as they feed on plant sap), were far better off than usual this year. According to Holeciova, Slovak apiculture has come out of a crisis, partly also thanks to state and EU subsidies in recent years.
Apart from this, the job appears to be regarded highly by the public and it has been attracting ever more young people. Statistics reveal that more than 17,000 people have bred bees in Slovakia this year.
Slovak honey, pollen and mead have a strong reputation worldwide. Recently at the Apimondia International Honey Festival in South Korea, Slovakia received 12 medals as one of the world's best honey-producing countries.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by László Juhász. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
