How Zambia govt uses honey processing industry to fight deforestation

By Bisola Adeyemo

Zambia Government has said the use of honey processing industry will encourage people from depending on charcoal burning.

This is because charcoal burning, which encourages the cutting down of trees, is one of the drivers of deforestation in the country, Times of Zambia reports.

According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Zambia loses between 250,000 hectares to 300,000 hectares of forest annually.

The loss of forests in Zambia is gradually increasing the intensity of adverse weather events such as droughts and floods

Green Economy and Environment Collins Nzovu, said empowerment training on bee-keeping, charcoal burners can stop economically depending on charcoal burning and start earning their income from honey processing.

“Government is eager to find ways of ensuring that bee-keeping and honey processing under the Forestry Department is used to discourage people from charcoal burning.”

Honey production is a lucrative business owing to the favourable price at which the commodity fetches both on the local and the international market.