Nayrouz News Agency : Jordan has produced 300 tonnes of honey since the beginning of the year, the Jordanian Beekeepers Association announced on Tuesday. 

Association President Mohammad Faqeer said that honey is generated from 60,000 bee cells, adding that the price of honey per kilogramme can reach some JD20, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

"The Kingdom’s imports of honey have hindered the promotion of locally produced honey, as around 600 tonnes of honey were imported annually throughout the 2004-2103 period. The imports have been increasing by 600 per cent since 2014 to reach 4,000 tonnes a year,” he added.

Jordan’s daily per capita consumption of honey amounts to approximately 150gm a year, he said.

Faqeer also pointed out that imported honey is not only restricted to consumption purposes, but also used in pharmaceutical and beauty products.

Jordanian bees have been facing extinction since 1980s as a result of Varroa mite infestation, a major honey bee pest, he said.

The Kingdom now depends on foreign honeybees, importing some 500 queen bees a year, he added.  

According to official figures, there are 1,400 registered beekeepers and 48,000 bee cells in the Kingdom.The number of unregistered beekeepers stands at 4,000 and unregistered cells at some 60,000, according to the association’s estimates.