VICTORIA, Seychelles — A beekeeper from Praslin is urging Seychelles to invest more seriously in apiculture, arguing that the country imports far more honey than local producers can supply. Roddy Rose, owner of Able Farm at Cap Samy in Baie Sainte Anne, has been a farmer for six years and took up beekeeping three years ago after seeing that crops on his farm were not being properly pollinated.
Mr Rose learned the craft from a neighbouring farmer and later received training from the agriculture department. He now runs hives for both pollination services and honey production, working alongside his wife on the honey side of the operation at home. “Even if I remove one of these boxes and place it somewhere else, while leaving the queen here in a new box, they will come into the new box because they know the scent of their queen,” he said, describing the intelligence of the colonies he tends.
His main concern is the widespread use of pesticides on farms, which he says either kills bees or drives them away. He is also calling for designated plots of land where beekeepers can operate away from agricultural activity, and for incentives such as land availability to encourage new entrants. “It is a business whereby you can generate quite a good revenue as there are high demands for honey here in Seychelles that even beekeepers cannot meet,” he said, adding that value-added products such as beeswax candles could open further revenue streams.
Mr Rose said Seychelles has a bright future in the sector, provided there is more training and the import of expertise from abroad. He is also advocating for the introduction of apiculture into the national agriculture curriculum and for more research into bee health and husbandry.
