MADINAH: Saudi Aramco launched on Tuesday an initiative to support and train low-income beekeepers to develop their products, in cooperation with the Beekeepers Cooperative Association in the Madinah Region.
The launch was held in the presence of Walid Al-Hazmi, president of the association in the region, and a number of interested parties.
The initiative aims to support and train 300 beekeepers in the region, enable them to set up, manage and develop their projects and qualify them on modern beekeeping methods. The plan also aims to develop their products, provide them with advanced equipment and improve the efficiency of beekeepers.
The initiative seeks to establish an apiary for the association that includes 1,000 beehives to cover the local need, carpentry for the manufacture of beehives, a modern factory for packaging honey, and a factory for printing wax foundations.
The plan also encourages the monetization of natural wax that is usually wasted by beekeepers, along with promoting the profession of beekeeping in the community.
The initiative, which is held at the branch of the Arab Open University in Madinah, will award trainees with certificates, tools, and a small project that includes five hives with bees. The projects will be supervised, which includes visits by bee professionals when needed and assisting in the process of sorting and marketing honey and selling it to secure additional income.
Saudi Aramco’s initiative in the Madinah region comes as part of a series of projects and initiatives to support and manufacture honey, which began in Al-Baha and Asir regions and covers all regions that are known for the production and sale of honey.
