KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The beekeeping and honey production industry in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar has been expanding after long years of insecurity and heavy fighting.
"Running a beekeeping farm is a satisfying and profitable career. The honey produced on my farm is pure, and the profitable industry has attracted many farmers to raise bees ... harvest honey and sell (them) to local markets," Abdul Bari, a farmer, told Xinhua recently.
On April 3, the Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada banned in a decree the cultivation of opium poppy and trade of opium in Afghanistan, a move came nearly more than seven months after the Taliban's takeover of the country.
Despite a remarkable drop in opium production due to persistent drought, the country is still the largest producer of opium, the raw material for making heroin. Afghanistan's illegal drug trade was believed to inject some 3 billion U.S. dollars a year into the Afghan economy, according to media reports.
Local farmers said the government must find alternative livelihoods for them before banning poppy cultivation.
"Farmers also should try to find legal corps, they can build fruit gardens and start to operate the beekeeping industry," said Bari.
"The price of each box of bee is 5,000 afghani (about 57 U.S. dollars), while each box product is worth of 10,000 afghani (114 dollars). It is a good business," he said.
He said in addition to honey, bees also produce wax, pollen and venom, which all have their own value in the international markets.
The Kandahar honey from basil flowers used to be popular in Saudi Arabia, said Bari.
Mohammad Yaqoob, another Kandahar beekeeper, said that lack of government support for producers is the main reason behind the low sales of honey products in both domestic and oversea markets.
"Beside Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan's high-quality honey is also exported (in recent years) to Iran, Pakistan, France and some other Arab nations," Yaqoob said.
He called on the government to provide more opportunities for the development of the honey industry, saying "every Afghan farmer must find good ways to cultivate legitimate crops." ■