"Danger signal" from the beekeepers of Rhodope - By 70% reduced this year's production
The reduction of this year's honey production in Rhodope will reach the unprecedented rate of 70%, which creates the necessity of supporting beekeepers.
The drought, the instability of the weather during the spring months of flowering, and the dry summer with hot winds blowing in the region, as well as the fact that fires have destroyed areas of pasture, lead the bees to an inability to produce new pollen to feed new brood, and consequently the beehives to collapse.
At the same time, the fact that the beekeepers affected the funds set aside each year for the entire sector for oil subsidies and hive replacement, causes the reduced subsidy for their non-affected colleagues. by the fires were compensated from
In view of the above, the Rhodope Beekeepers Association, in an open letter, in which it stresses that "the reduction in honey production is not only an economic issue but also a matter of food security and ecological balance", is asking the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for de minimis financial support.
According to ERT Komotinis, it also sounds the alarm for the future extinction of beekeeping in Greece, as it points out, "if the industry is not adequately supported, it will cause a mass exodus from the profession, and that is when Greeks will be fed only with imported honey".
Indeed, the president of the association, Stelios Kechagias, speaking to ERT Komotini, recalls that "honey is the 4th most adulterated agricultural product in the relevant EU list".