Yucatan Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal visited the Centro de Producción de Abejas Reinas in Tizimín, one of 14 new state-supported queen bee production centers that will be established in the state.
In this center alone, around 68,000 kilograms of honey are produced annually. With the support of the state government, beekeepers seek to reproduce and improve the genetics of the species to ensure the quality of the Yucatecan product. They expect to increase honey production by 30 percent in the coming years.
Vila Dosal, accompanied by Secretary of Rural Development Jorge Díaz Loeza, toured El Gavilán, in the Chenkekén dependency. Gavilán has 10 breeding chambers, 10 support beehives and 250 fertilization cores.
On World Bee Day, which was commemorated May 20, Vila Dosal announced an initiative to aid beekeepers. Part of the state’s involvement is to supply 250 queen bees, which arrived from Italy in stainless-steel containers.
The program, which is in its first stages, envisions seven queen bee production centers with an initial investment of 6 million pesos.
Javier Efraín Cuxím Canul, who runs El Gavilán, told reporters that he will benefit directly through this program. The beekeeper of 20 years said the state’s involvement will help increase his exports to Germany.
“This program comes to give a boost to the production and in terms of genetics of the bees … they are disease-free and docile organisms and this represents a very large increase,” he said.
The state government plans to boost beekeepers’ production centers in Maní, Sucilá, Maxcanú, Tekal de Venegas and Sacalum, as well as Xcunyá.
Tizimín leads the nation in honey production.
