Italian honey production in 2017 may drop to less than one-third of the annual average, according UNAPPI - the national association of Italian beekeepers.
The association says that the honey harvest at the end of the year will be around 90,000 quintals, compared to the annual average of 230,000, reports Il Giornale.
This comes after an already difficult year, after honey production fell to 160,000 tonnes in 2016.
Changing Conditions
Italy's bees are producing 70% less honey nationally (with peaks of 80% in some parts of the country), as a result of widespread spring frosts, followed by heat, droughts, violent summer thunderstorms, and fires.
This does not mean that there will be no honey on the shelves of Italian supermarkets, but rather that there will be more imported honey, mostly from India and China.
In Italy there are 45,000 registered beekeepers, while 80% of the industry is in the hands of 20,000 producers. There are a total of 1.2 million hives, which produce 51 different varieties. The sector is worth €150-170 million, but including pollination, bees are worth over €2 billion to the Italian economy.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
