Beekeepers raising facility for purchase and marketing of honey in Raca

The Beekeeping Association of Serbia has decided to raise the facility for purchase and marketing of honey in the municipality of Raca, as the municipality has offered the biggest help to beekeepers in raising the facility, the Association reported.

The Association's Executive Board found the offer by the municipality of Raca the most favorable of the shortlisted offers, including those made by the municipalities of Srbobran, Cuprija, Surdulica and Mali Zvornik.

According to the Association, the municipality of Raca will aid the construction of the honey factory by providing RSD 30 million, the complete infrastructure worth EUR 80,000-100,000, as well as the plot of land, which will be included in the factory's founding capital.

The beekeepers' invitation to cities and municipalities to submit concrete suggestions for aid programs was answered by 32 local self-governments.

The estimated value of raising and equipping the facility is around EUR 650,000.

President of the Beekeeping Association of Serbia, Radoljub Zivanovic, earlier said for Beta that the construction should start the next year.

– The facility will be raised with our own assets and the project is to be done in stages, in accordance with the dynamics of the inflow of funds – Zivanovic said.

He said that beekeepers intended to raise their own factory for packaging and marketing honey, so that no one could shortchange them any longer.

– This year, certain purchasers paid only EUR 1.5 per kilogram of sunflower honey, even though its real price was EUR 2.1 – Zivanovic said and added that beekeepers were forced to sell honey at low prices, as the yields had been very poor and they needed money promptly in order to maintain the production.

According to the Agency's estimates, this was the worst year for beekeepers in the past eight decades, as only 1,100 tons of honey have been produced due to unfavorable weather conditions, around five times less than the annual average.

Savez pčelarskih organizacija Srbije

Beekeeping Association of Serbia

facility for purchase and marketing of honey Raca

Rodoljub Zivanovic

honey factory Raca