There have been no beehive losses in Cuba. Unable to import pesticides due to the embargo, the island now exports valuable organic honey

When the Caribbean state was no longer able to afford pesticides – which have been linked with declining bee populations – it made a virtue out of a necessity

Long known for its cigars and rum, Cuba has added organic honey to its list of key agricultural exports, creating a buzz among farmers as pesticide use has been linked to declining bee populations elsewhere.

Organic honey has become Cuba’s fourth most valuable agricultural export behind fish products, tobacco and drinks, but ahead of the Caribbean island’s more famous sugar and coffee, said Theodor Friedrich, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) representative for Cuba.

“All of [Cuba’s] honey can be certified as organic,” Friedrich told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Its honey has a very specific, typical taste; in monetary value, it’s a high-ranking product.“

After the collapse in 1991 of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s main trading partner, the island was unable to afford pesticides due to a lack of foreign currency, coupled with the US trade embargo. By necessity, the government embraced organic agriculture, and the policies have largely stuck.

Now that the United States is easing its embargo following the restoration of diplomatic ties last year, Cuba’s organic honey exporters could see significant growth if the government supports the industry, bee keepers said.

Cuba produced more than 7,200 tonnes of organic honey in 2014, worth about $23.3m, according to government statistics cited by the FAO.

The country’s industry is still tiny compared with honey heavyweights such as China, Turkey and Argentina. But with a commodity worth more per litre than oil, Cuban honey producers believe they could be on the verge of a lucrative era.

With 80 boxes swarming with bees, each producing 45kg (100lb) of honey a year, farm manager Javier Alfonso believes Cuba’s exports could grow markedly in the coming years.

Publish By : theguardian.com

Comments

Over 40M people of Irish descent are in the United States, 8x more than the population of Ireland

The Irish people (Irish: Muintir na hÉireann or Na hÉireannaigh) are a nation and ethnic group native to the island of Ireland, who share a common Irish ancestry, identity and culture. Ireland has been inhabited for about 9,000 years according to archaeological studies (see Prehistoric Ireland). For most of Ireland's recorded history, the Irish have been primarily a Gaelic people (see Gaelic Ireland). Anglo-Normans conquered parts of Ireland in the 12th century, while England's 16th/17th century (re)conquest and colonization of Ireland brought a large number of English and Lowland Scots to parts of the island, especially the north. Today, Ireland is made up of the Republic of Ireland (an independent state), and the smaller Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom). The people of Northern Ireland hold various national identities; including Irish, Northern Irish, British, or some combination thereof. The Irish have their own customs, language, music, dance, sports, cuisine,...

Instagram playboy reveals why he’s risking his life for $600K | The Reporter25

Dan Bilzerian is betting big on a feat which, for the majority, would easily end up with a trip to the emergency room. The multimillionaire showy a shooting gun, High Stakes Poker playing Instagram King who is often photographed with scantily clad women draped in his body torn bet $ 600,000 that he can ride a bicycle from his home in the Hollywood Hills to California sign Las Vegas within 40 hours. This is no joke, Bilzerian says the post. The 35-year-old has 293 miles to cover if he wants to win. Nobody does that. LA to Las Vegas I have a rise of 13000 feet that is (almost) half of Mount Everest, but I wanted a challenge. The challenge is the operative word. Bilzerian, at just under 5 feet 10 and 200 pounds, doesn't have the physical from the classic biker and has not gone well for nearly two decades. He calculates that, before starting to prepare in mid-February (one day after the bet has been made), he had spent less than 20 hours in a two-wheeled vehicle in your life. Top Stori...

The inclusion of crimes against Muslims in the United Kingdom

Crimes against Muslims in the United Kingdom next month will be counted as a class separate crime data. The goal is to know how many Muslims have been targeted on the basis of their religion. People who belong to other religions, for the first time in this sense to be calculated to be addressed. This decision is supported by Muslim groups who consider that there is little public information about this kind of incident. Take the case of a woman who went into a coffee a few months ago. With his friends from the University, she could eat a good meal, but it turned out to be a nightmare for the Muslim girl from Blackburn. They say that a woman who sat near bad words for them. Why not identity is that women do not indicate that it was because he wore a scarf. That was poor immigrants in a high voice, which gave me and my friends and poor immigrants were using bad words, he said. It was very scary. He said that the most surprising thing is that police not recorded the incident in the categor...

Bol News

Search This Blog