São Paulo – Beekeepers from Ortigueira, 250 kilometres away from Curitiba, guarantee that there is no honey tastier than that produced there. And they also promise, still in 2010, to recover the post of main producer of the product in Brazil, lost in the 1980s. And also exporting to markets like the United Arab Emirates. The target of the Ortigueira Honey Producer Association (Apomel), which has been leading the movement for the produce of bees in the interior of Paraná. With 50 associates, Apomel currently answers to 90% of the total production in the city, 6% of production in the state and 0.6% of the country’s production. Paraná is the second main producer of honey, with 4,600 tonnes a year, losing only to Rio Grande do Sul, with 7,300 tonnes. In all, Brazil has around 350,000 beekeepers. Together, they produce 50,000 tonnes of honey a year.
How does the Apomel plan to get there? Strengthening trade delegations on the domestic and foreign market and investing in research for analysis of the quality of honey from Ortigueira. The study should be developed by the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Paraná, with the participation of the Sebrae/PR, the Paraná Agronomy Institute (Iapar) and the Federal Technology University of Paraná. The objective is to map the product, specifying characteristics like the colour and the mineral content, for example. "Funds of 170,000 Brazilian reals (US$ 95,000) should be turned to this project, to be executed in 2010 and 2011,” explained Fabrício Pires Bianchi, the Sebrae consultant and manager of the honey project for the city of Ortigueira. "We have always known that our honey is the best in Brazil. The difference is that now we have proof in writing,” said the president at the Apomel, Ana Mozuski Kutz.
She defends the sweet, which she consumes at breakfast every day, preferably on bread, explaining that the organisation was established in 1984, and initially had 30 associates. "We want to reach 150 beekeepers in 2010,” she said. In future, the plan is to make Apomel into a cooperative, which would also stimulate exports. According to Ana, the main foreign Apomel clients are Germany, England, the United States and France. Possible Arab buyers are welcome. "We are greatly interested in closing deals with these countries,” he said.
If it depends on the Ortigueira City Hall, Ana’s objective is not far from being reached. In April, a trade delegation with representatives of the city should travel to China with a stop-off in the United Arab Emirates, just to make contacts and to try to close deals. "We are also eyeing partnerships with businessmen in Syria,” explained the Industry and Trade secretary at the city, Geraldo Magela Fraga do Nascimento.
*Translated by Mark Ament
