SUCCESSFUL BEEKEEPERS FROM MEDVEDJA

10. October 2018.

Medvedja – The first Festival of Honey was held in Medvedja, where forty beekeepers and manufacturers of the beekeeping equipment exhibited their products. The festival was organized by the “Apis” Association of Beekeepers, the GIZ and the municipality of Medvedja.

The natural resources of Gornja Jablanica, which is ideal for beekeeping, were recognized by the GIZ and the municipality of Medvedja. The Beekeepers Association was established last September, when the beekeeping equipment was donated to young people up to 35 years old. The number of beekeepers increased four and a half times in a year, while the results of their work were presented at the Festival of Honey.

“Successful beekeeping is the combination of love, continuous learning and commitment of the whole family,” says Dragisa Sarac from Sijarinska Spa.

Although he is only 38 years old, he has almost 90 beehives, which makes him one of the most experienced beekeepers in the municipality of Medvedja.

“Weather conditions are extremely important in beekeeping. It is important when your bees will be fed, when you will work, when you will use smoke, when you will take your bees out to pasture, "said Dragisa Sarac, a beekeeper from Sijarinsla Spa.

Nemanja and Marko, who are secondary school students, followed Dragisa’s path with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm. They have not made any profits yet since they have only five beehives, but they do have what is most important, which is love and the desire to advance.

They would not have succeeded without the support of the municipality and the German development organization GIZ. Although their project has been implemented for just one year, they presented their products at the first festival of honey.

“They helped us to obtain the initial equipment, which made it possible for all our young beekeepers, who started dealing with beekeeping, to go into the beekeeping business without any investments, "says Milos Jovic, the President of the “Apis” Association of Beekeepers from Medvedja.

"Of course that we are satisfied. We support young people aged 15 to 35 in order to empower them economically and get them employed," said Danica Belic from GIZ.

The demand for honey is increasing in the world, while the production of honey is decreasing. The situation in Serbia is completely different, where, fortunately, the environment is well-preserved.

"Beekeeping in Serbia has long been on the rise by both the number of hives and beekeepers. The government’s aid, or the subsidies that were introduced in 2013, followed by the subsidies for the beekeeping equipment, naturally contributed to that state of affairs," said Rodoljub Živadinović, MD, the President of the Beekeeping Association of Serbia.

Dark forest honey may soon become a brand of Medvedja. More importantly, a natural resource was used for the employment and keeping of young people in the region.

"This year we have ten or so more first graders, which is as an indicator of our successful work on keeping young people in the area," says Nebojsa Arsic, the Mayor of Medvedja.

Apart from honey, propolis, pollen, honeycombs and fruits in honey are exhibited on over 40 stalls. We are thought from a young age about how healthy honey is, but also about the fact that a bee must land on 10,000 flowers in order to produce a gram of honey.

Source: Serbian Broadcasting Corporation and Coordination Body