How To Set-Up A Profitable Honey Exportation Business

Honey is a thick liquid that is brownish-yellow or gold in colour. It is produced by bees and is created from nectar extracted from flowering plants. This nectar is generally taken when bees are pollinating flowers and other plants.

In 2020, there were about 90 million beehives in the world, up from about 80 million beehives in 2010. The global production volume of honey peaked in 2015 at about 1.87 million metric tons and has since decreased to about 1.85 million metric tons. The global honey market was valued about eight billion U.S. dollars in 2023

In 2010, China was the most significant global producer, producing 398,000 Metric tons, or 26% of the global share by volume. Within Africa, Ethiopia is the largest producer of honey. From 2005-2010, Ethiopian honey production increased 26% from 36,000 metric tons to 45,300 metric tons. Bee keeping is an untapped wealth in Nigeria, due to the various economic benefits that could be derived from bee keeping are yet to be fully utilised. It could be practice as a part time activity or a full time professional business

Nigeria currently produces about 15,000 tonnes of honey and 2,500 tonnes of bee wax annually, less than three per cent of her potential 800,000 and 70,000 tonnes respectively.

Honey has established itself as the best alternative to synthesized sugar as such it is priced high in the international market with a high demand on the product. There exists a large export market for honey on the global stage; with the European Union accounting for approximately 20-25% of the world’s consumption. In 2007, consumption amounted to 310 thousand tones.  The other two major consumers of honey in the world are China and the USA. China accounts for approximately 15% of global consumption and the USA for 10%.

 The EU is also the major market for beeswax in the world, accounting for a third of global imports in 2006. The USA is the second largest importer, accounting for 17% of beeswax imports. Japan is the third largest importer, accounting for 5% of the imports.

To procure the honey, most honey producers start and maintain their own bee colonies. If you are not familiar with the raising and care of bees to produce quality honey, it will be well worth your time to learn as much as you can before investing more time or money into your business venture.

How Profitable is Honey Business in Nigeria?

Selling pure honey in Nigeria is worthwhile and lucrative. There is always a demand for pure honey because people use it every day for its benefit.

Let’s do some calculations: If you get 25 liter of honey for N55, 000, You can repackage it in a  liter bottle to resell at N5000 per liter at the local market and 5 usd per litre at the international market.  By the time you subtract your expenses , you will be left with a decent profit. Can you see that the business is worth it?

You may need to purchase professional equipment, such as a bee smoker and brush, honey extractor, and related tools to successfully extract large quantities of honey. Doing everything by hand the old-fashioned way may not allow you to bottle enough honey for sale. Be sure to account for these expenses in your initial business plan.

Is there any particular place in Nigeria that is best for keeping bees?

You can keep bees anywhere in Nigeria but it’s just that the yield of honey will be more in areas where you don’t have too much rain, because honey in the rain forest is lower than honey in the savannah. Bees kept in the savannah environment produce more and better honey than those kept in the rain forest region because of high humidity in the rain forest region.

It is very important to know the variety you will be supplying your customer so that you don’t supply a particular type today and another type tomorrow, you will not be considered as a serious person who is ready for business, and also it means you have to be doing test every time you produce because your bees are also coming from everywhere. , with the test result you can approach buyers, and based on your packaging, presentation and market research which you have done to find potential users and buyers, you can be rest assured you will get buyers and your products will be sold out in no distant time.

Don’t forget you also have to register your product with NAFDAC, this is very important; and also with other agencies that regulate farm produce and products.

•        HOW TO MAKE MONEY SELLING HONEY

•        If you really want to make money from honey business you must ensure you are buying from a genuine source because honey can be adulterated using several methods. The quality of the honey you sell becomes a very important factor in determining your patronage. Therefore you have to ensure that the honey you buy is of high quality and is from the right source. Personally, i don’t recommend buying honey from the open market. I recommend buying from bee keepers around you. You can conduct a research to find out where you can buy honey. you can even do a Google search to help you.

Reflecting on the journey of exporting pure honey from Nigeria, it becomes evident that the process involves thorough research, compliance with regulations, and building strong relationships with buyers and suppliers. By focusing on quality, sustainability, and market research, Nigerian honey exporters can tap into the vast opportunities available in the international market. With continuous improvement, innovation, and collaboration, the Nigerian honey industry can flourish and contribute to the country's economic growth and agricultural sector development.

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