Adverse weather cuts Cypriot honey output

Honey production in Cyprus has fallen by as much as 30 per cent in recent years of adverse weather, reflecting mounting pressure on the island’s beekeeping sector from environmental stress, the agricultural department said on Friday.

Senior agricultural officer Lysandros Lysandrides said prolonged drought and heat have reduced average honey yields per hive by at least a third, even though Cyprus has avoided the devastating colony losses recorded in neighbouring countries.

The decline in output comes as beekeepers face escalating costs and intense competition from low-priced imports.

Bees play a critical role far beyond honey production, contributing to the pollination of around 75 per cent of plant species worldwide and up to 90 per cent of many fruit and arable crops.

On an island increasingly exposed to climate change impacts, maintaining healthy bee populations is considered essential for biodiversity, environmental balance and agricultural productivity.

Lysandrides said pressure on bees is a global phenomenon, driven primarily by habitat loss through urbanisation and the overuse of pesticides.

He pointed to severe losses elsewhere, with Bulgaria estimated to have lost up to 90 per cent of its colonies and the United States expected to record losses of around 70 per cent.

In Cyprus, colony losses remain lower, largely because local beekeepers are experienced in dry conditions and invest heavily in replacing weakened hives, yet production has still been hit hard.

Higher temperatures, prolonged drought, fires and expanding urban areas have sharply reduced wild vegetation, limiting the availability of pollen and nectar.

At the same time, changes in the biological cycle of bees have weakened their immune systems, leaving colonies more vulnerable to disease and predators whose activity has increased in recent years.

These pressures have added significantly to production costs.

The state has introduced a range of national and EU-backed measures to support the sector, including beekeeping focused on organic colony management, as well as assistance with the cost of transporting hives to areas with stronger flowering.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) announced on Friday it is coordinating the EU-backed PLANBEE project, a Mediterranean cooperation initiative aimed at strengthening the beekeeping economy.

Financed by the EU with a total budget of €2.8 million, the project brings together partners from Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine and focuses on skills training and innovation, including the introduction of smart hives, and the development of flora-based honey.

Additional emergency measures may also be activated during periods of severe weather.

Despite these efforts the most serious challenge facing Cypriot beekeepers remains competition from imported honey.

Lysandrides explained that honey imported from China enters the European Union at around €1.40 per kilo, while Cypriot honey sells at retail for about €10 per kilo.

Even as production costs have risen, local producers have largely been unable to raise prices, putting pressure on incomes and sustainability.

Cyprus currently meets about 45 per cent of its honey demand from domestic production.

More than a quarter of beekeepers are under the age of 40, a far higher proportion than in most other areas of agriculture.

Lysandrides said the distinctive quality of Cypriot honey linked to the island’s vegetation and climate combined with consumer awareness of widespread adulteration in imported honey could prove decisive in supporting the future of the sector.