Beekeepers invest in quality to keep the market

Harvesting honey at Quan Phat Honey Facility (Hung Loc Commune, Thong Nhat District). Photo: B.Nguyen

Therefore, many businesses and honey facilities in the province have changed their traditional farming methods, applying science and technology to produce high-quality honey products for export to demanding markets. In addition, businesses and beekeeping facilities have chosen to return to their home market, investing in deep processing of honey products, paying more attention to packaging and branding to increase their competitiveness in the market.

Honey export is still difficult

Dong Nai used to be a locality that strongly developed beekeeping. This used to be a highly effective economic model that helped beekeepers get rich. But in recent years, beekeeping has gradually narrowed, and output has been difficult. According to some long-standing beekeeping establishments in the province, beekeeping used to be profitable. But in recent years, only beekeeping farms with good techniques have made a profit of 100-200 million VND a year, while establishments with poor beekeeping may lose money on labor.

Many businesses and beekeeping facilities in the province have participated in the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program, investing in packaging, labels, etc. with the goal of building brands and increasing competitive advantages in the domestic market.

At this time, many beekeeping areas in Dong Nai have just finished the peak honey harvest of the year. The honey supply is abundant but the output is still facing many difficulties, causing the honey price to continue to decrease. Currently, the export price of honey that farmers are selling at the farm is about 27,000 VND/liter, down about 5,000 VND/liter compared to the same period last year. At this price, beekeepers have almost no profit, even losing capital.

Mr. Le Loc Quan, owner of Quan Phat Honey Facility in Hung Loc Commune, Thong Nhat District, commented that since the Covid-19 pandemic, honey exports have encountered many difficulties. Currently, honey exports have not improved because the largest consumer market, the US, is imposing very high anti-dumping taxes on this product. In addition, many other markets, including European countries, have stricter standards, so honey exports still face many challenges.

Faced with changes in market demand, many businesses and beekeeping facilities in the province have changed their traditional farming methods to survive and develop in difficult times. This is also the reason why a few years ago, Quan Phat Honey Facility changed its investment direction, making more honeycomb products. To make this product, beekeepers must change from traditional beekeeping practices with higher input costs, meticulous farming processes, and a lot of care. After harvesting, honey is preserved intact inside the honeycomb wax layer. This is a high-end product line, with high nutritional content and many nutrients that are good for health. The facility also invests in deep processing of honey products. Thanks to that, the facility's honey products are being exported well to demanding markets such as: Korea, some European countries, etc.

Invest in quality

The turbulent export market has forced businesses and honey production facilities to focus on the domestic market with the view of choosing delicious, quality products to serve domestic consumers.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Minh, Director of the Hang Gon Agricultural, Commercial and Service Beekeeping Cooperative (Hang Gon Commune, Long Khanh City), said that the cooperative currently has 13 members and a scale of nearly 400 beehives. In recent years, when the export price of honey fell sharply, the cooperative focused on the domestic market. In particular, Minh Dao Honey Facility of Mr. Minh's family built the Minh Dao Rambutan Honey brand which is well-known in the market. In addition, the facility also makes many processed honey products such as: peach lemon honey, mulberry honey, turmeric honey, ginger honey... all of which are inspected and registered for trademarks before being sold on the market. Thanks to that, honey products sold in the domestic market have stable output with prices many times higher than the export price of honey.

Vuong Phat Honey Facility (Phu Lap Commune, Tan Phu District) is a large honey farming and purchasing facility in the locality with an output of about 60 tons of honey/year. According to the owner of Vuong Phat Honey Facility, in recent years, the price of honey supplied to the export market has decreased sharply, at times falling below the production cost but still difficult to sell. The facility has focused on returning to the home market. Previously, selected honey was prioritized for the export market, but now the facility selects a source of good quality honey, suitable for domestic consumers' tastes, invests in packaging and labels for sale in the domestic market. The facility's high-quality products are favored by the market such as: xuyen chi honey, mint flowers... In addition to selling through traditional channels, the facility also diversifies sales channels on e-commerce platforms to reach customers across the country.

Binh Nguyen

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202505/nguoi-nuoi-ong-dau-tu-cho-chat-luong-de-giu-thi-truong-26667b4/