IGNEADA, Türkiye, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Shrouded in morning mist, the floodplain forest of the town of Igneada sets the scene as local beekeeper Ender Ceylan lifts a heavy frame of dark oak honey, signaling the start of this year's harvest.
For the past decade, Ceylan has worked at the foothills of the Istranca Mountains near Türkiye's border with Bulgaria, where dense oak forests provide the ideal conditions for producing the region's distinctive honeydew honey.
Starting with just five hives, Ceylan has expanded his holdings to 170 colonies and expects to harvest about 1.5 tons of oak honey this year.
"My ultimate ambition is to see my oak honey enter niche premium markets beyond our borders," he told Xinhua.
Unlike floral honey, Istranca oak honey is a honeydew variety sourced from a 150-km belt of dense oak forests. In dry spells, deep-rooted oaks secrete mineral-rich sap gathered by native bees, an ecotype protected under a state conservation program in Kirklareli province.
The region's near-total absence of pesticide-intensive farming further supports bee health. To protect genetic integrity, introducing non-native bees is banned and strictly penalized. Beekeepers who maintain pure native colonies receive 200 Turkish liras (about 4.24 U.S. dollars) per hive in government aid.
"The state regularly takes samples from our hives to monitor the genetic purity of the native bees," Ceylan said. "As long as we preserve the native bees, we receive government support."
Türkiye is one of the world's top honey producers, according to data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Despite drought and harsh winters that have trimmed bee colonies from a peak of 9.2 million to 8.8 million, honey output still edged up 1.8 percent last year to over 97,000 tons, according to TurkStat.
However, the statistical institute said only about 10 percent of the country's annual honey production is exported, underscoring the sector's heavy reliance on the domestic market.
Industry figures from the Central Union of Turkish Beekeepers attribute the low export share largely to local producers' limited ability to compete in price-driven international markets.
Ali Demir, president of the union, said maintaining Türkiye's position as the world's leading honey producers will depend not only on production volumes but also on increasing exports of high-value products.
"Our goal is to make Turkish honey a strong, sustainable global brand," Demir said.
Naime Ozkilic, a local beekeeper, has established the Demirkoy Women Producers' Cooperative in Kirklareli to help promote the oak honey that is rich in antioxidants and rarely crystallizes.
To improve market access, Ozkilic's cooperative introduced a local honey filling facility that enables producers to obtain commercial origin codes.
Still, broader institutional backing and stronger cooperatives are needed for producers to build brands and expand exports, Ozkilic said.
"There are many producer families in this region, and we must unite," Ceylan told Xinhua. "Without a strong cooperative structure, individual beekeepers simply lack the branding and marketing capacity needed to reach premium international markets."
Kirklareli is home to Türkiye's only geographical indication for oak honey. For local beekeepers, this distinction is their vital ticket into the international markets.
Holding a freshly harvested honeycomb, Ceylan examined the dark oak honey before placing it back into the hive.
"Our bees produce something unique from these forests," Ceylan said. "Now it is up to us to work together, build stronger brands and introduce the taste of Istranca oak honey to more consumers around the world." ■