PHOTOS: Kurdish beekeepers take part in Sulaimani Honey Festival

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Beekeepers Association and the General Directorate of Agriculture in the Kurdistan Region's province of Sulaimani kicked off the sixth annual Honey Festival this week, displaying a wide array of different styles of honey and varied approaches to constructing hives for their small, winged partners in agriculture.

The supervisor of the festival, Luqman Omar, said in a statement that the festival was held with the participation of 22 beekeepers from different parts of the autonomous Kurdistan Region with the aim of supporting and promoting the sweet, liquid crop both domestically and internationally.

He pointed out that the city of Sulaimani produces an annual yield of between 450 and 500 tons of local honey. This amount is sufficient to meet the demand of local markets in the region, but local beekeepers and officials are actively looking into ways of breaking the market open to markets around the world.

The participants considered that displaying honey directly in front of the consumer is beneficial, both increasing the stature of local beekeepers and making more savvy consumers by educating the public. 

There are about 3,000 beekeepers working in the Kurdistan Region, an area long famous for its traditional honey production.