VALUE OF HONEY TO COUNTRY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 113, 29 May 1937, Page 8

VALUE OF HONEY TO COUNTRY

Much Development in Last 15 Years HIGH N.Z. CONSUMPTION Some conception oi the development and the possibilities of the honey industry was provided members of - the Hastings Rotary Club yesterday when they were addressed by Mr L. Biester©r, Apiary Instructor of thl DepaTtment of Agriculture. He pointed out that it was only within the past 15 years that the industry had been . giveu recognition, and it was only within the past twelve months that the immense value that bees meaut to- the country generally was being realised. Soxne 15 years ago it was possible to count the number of apiarists on the fingefs of oue hand, -said Mr Riesterer. They were just producing a littie honey and that was all about it. There was no recognition by the Government. It was not until 1913 that the' first shipment of honey was dispatched from New Zeaiand, but since that date very considerable increases had been made. The annual production was now somewhere between 300Q and 4000 tons of honey, and in one year between 1100 and 1200 tons were exported, this bringing in a revenue of about £70,000. "New Zeaiand was reeognised as the greatest honey-consuming ,community in the world," he said. "The average consumption is about 4 lbs. per head per annum compared with only four ounces in Great Britain. Something like 2000 tons were consumed in New Zeaiand. " , ' ' Though much progress has been made, ' the industry is - yet in its infancy," said Mr Riesterer. "There is 'any amount of scope for development. It may be claimed that up to the pre* sent the industry has been more or less neglected, but the time has . arrived when a reorganisation will take place. Speaking in broad terms, -it should be realised that a production of 3000 tons means a revenue of roughly £200,000 to the Dominion, so it is no small matter, espeeially when there is still so much to be done to develop the industry." • The speaker said - that most people looked upon the industry in terms of honey, and this rather created a wrong impression, for actually the honey production was really a side issue. One very valuable by-product was the wax. As a matter oi fact, the demand for wax was greater than the supply available, he said, for ,it was wanted for various types of polishes. . Apart from the honey and wax returhs, however, there was a greater value derived from the industry and that was the part played by the bees in the fertilisation of the blooms, he said, While experiments in this regard, had not been taken' in New Zeaiand, they had been carried out in America and had revealed that the absence oi bees, as distributing agonts meant tho total loss of crops in orchards and gardens. "Take the bees away altogether and the reproduction of seeds, fruit aud blooms generally would be eonsiderably affected and lowered/' declared Mr Riesterer. However, the fertilisation side has not been.given much consideration in. the past, but during the .past twelve months other divisions of the Department oi Agriculture have been making reference to it and giving the matter cdnsiderable thought."