Gyeonggi-do Invests 5.7 Billion KRW to Revitalize Beekeeping Industry

Honey

Gyeonggi Province will invest 5.7 billion KRW in three projects this year to develop the beekeeping industry and improve industrial conditions.

On the 13th, Gyeonggi Province announced plans to allocate 5.56 billion KRW for the "Strengthening Competitiveness and Modernization of the Beekeeping Industry" project, 130 million KRW to support "New Bee Breeds with Excellent Honey and Pollen Collection Abilities," and 10 million KRW for "Support of Equipment to Exterminate Hornets," which cause significant damage to honeybees.

The scale of beekeeping businesses in the province has greatly increased from 1,749 farms with 123,613 colonies in 2010 to 2,788 farms with 253,043 colonies in 2020. However, since 2022, many have suffered damage due to diseases and climate change, making countermeasures necessary.

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province plans to pre-breed 6,300 queen bees at key farms in each city and county to quickly supply them to farms affected by winter honeybee losses.

In the past two years, Gyeonggi Province has experienced damage to 88,000 colonies due to unexplained winter honeybee deaths and disappearances. As winter losses of honeybees have recently occurred in other provinces as well, this queen bee supply project is attracting attention from beekeepers as a potential measure to address the damage.

Lee Kang-young, Director of the Livestock Policy Division of Gyeonggi Province, emphasized, "Beekeeping plays an important role in the livestock industry and is an indispensable industry for maintaining and preserving the ecosystem. We will actively support the development of the beekeeping industry and the resolution of current issues."