Governor Hikmet Tan, Bahri Yilmaz, head of the Turkish Apiarists' Union, Zahir Kandasoglu, head of the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Murat Akbay, head of the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture, other agriculture officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations and producers attended the meeting.
Bahri Yilmaz, head of the Turkish Apiarists' Union, complained about the inadequacy of legal regulations. He said the illegal honey commerce was a big problem for the producers in Turkey.
"This illegal honey is being exported with a 'Turkish honey' label. All the honey is sent back to Turkey when various chemicals are found in it," said Yilmaz.
Yilmaz said there were beekeepers' unions in 62 countries with some 17,000 members. He said some 40,000 people in Turkey were professional beekeepers. Some 180,000 families earn a living from beekeeping, according to him.
"Turkey, with a production of 70,000 tons, is the second biggest honey producer in the world after China," said Yilmaz, adding that the European Union (EU) imported some 200,000 tons of honey each year. "But Turkey can only export some 18,000 tons to Europe. If the honey producers are supported, this production can expand to become a source of very important economic income."
Murat Akbay, head of the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture, spoke about organic agriculture in Turkey. He said certificates were needed to export organic products to foreign markets. Akbay said there was a certification problem in Van for the organic products.
The following information was also available at the meeting:
* While there are five beehives in every one kilometer square in Turkey, this number in van is 0.87. There are 6,690 permanent beehives in Van and 27,000 traveling beehives.
* Honey production, especially important in Catak and Bahcesaray is done according to the criteria. The smuggled hone, especially from Iran, which is made with a lot of sugar, puts Turkish producers in a difficult situation.
* The producers in Van also have difficulty in advertising and promoting their honey. Van honey is above standards in terms of quality and is usually exported to Europe with different titles. (BB/EA/YE)
