Source: Tanzania Daily News Dar es Salaam
The Vice-President, Dr Philip Mpango, has issued ten directives to strengthen the bee sector in efforts to increase foreign currency in the country.
The Vice-President issued these directives in Dodoma yesterday when he officiated at World Bee Day, celebrated at the national level in Dodoma.
World Bee Day is celebrated on May 20 each year to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators in the ecosystem.
On this day, the global public should focus on the importance of preserving honeybees and other pollinators, reminding people of their significance in meeting humanity’s needs.
In his speech yesterday, the VP directed all embassies in foreign countries to ensure that bee products have a reliable market in their respective areas of operation.
He also instructed the Ministry of Finance to reduce nuisance taxes on all honey-processing products, including packaging materials used in the country.
The VP noted that although the country has abundant honey products, production remains low.
He directed the Ministry, in collaboration with the Tanzania Forestry Research Institute (TAFORI), to assess the current honey production in the country.
Dr Mpango directed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of State in the President’s Office, Regional Administration, and Local Government, to identify special areas in Dodoma and Singida regions for legal protection.
The Vice-President further urged the ministry, in collaboration with other stakeholders in the private sector, to come up with a special plan that includes tree planting.
As Tanzania joined the rest of the world to mark World Bee Day, bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.
Pollination is a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90 per cent of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75 per cent of the world’s food crops and 35 per cent of global agricultural land.
Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are also key to conserving biodiversity.
To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face, and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.
The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminating hunger in developing countries.
THE AUTHOR: Katare Mbashiru
