The unknown sweetness of Tajik honey

Dushanbe's honey production is highly regarded at international fairs for its taste and purity, and its availability has also grown significantly. However, it still struggles to enter European markets due to shortcomings in certification systems and the logistical organisation supporting exports.

Dushanbe (AsiaNews) - Tajikistan has always been very proud of its honey production, which it considers to be of the highest quality in the Eurasian region, even though it struggles to sell it on international markets, especially in Europe, which has very selective criteria.

The quantities of Tajik honey are considerable, and it always receives very high ratings at world fairs for its taste and ecological purity, but this is not enough to get it into the wealthiest shops.

Honey production has been steadily increasing in Tajikistan over the last decade. While there were around 60,000 beekeeping families in the early 1990s, today there are around 260,000-280,000, producing almost 5,000 tonnes of honey per year, compared to just a few hundred tonnes thirty years ago.

In relation to the population, this means about half a kilo of honey per person, much more than in most Asian countries, although less than the leading countries in this sector in Europe and South America.

Despite the increase in production, exports remain very limited: in 2024, according to customs data, Tajikistan exported only 2.3 tonnes of honey and imported 4.2 tonnes, highlighting the problems of access to external markets.

The average price of honey in Europe is around £15 per kilo at retail, while wholesale prices are around £2-3 per kilo, considering that packaging, labelling and advertising are required for sale, not to mention various transport and preparation costs. Honey from Tajikistan arrives mostly as a raw material without processing or branding, greatly reducing its value and making it unattractive to major international buyers.

To reach the European market, it is not enough to certify the “high quality” of production; it is necessary to comply with a series of very strict requirements, which the Tajiks have so far failed to meet.

President Emomali Rakhmon himself recently stated that “despite the favourable conditions for the development of beekeeping in our country, honey production and exports continue to fall short of our potential”, urging the improvement of quality control and certification systems.

To achieve this goal, a number of necessary steps must be taken, first and foremost by being included in the official list of third countries authorised to export honey to the European Union. A national programme is then needed to monitor pesticide and antibiotic residues, with accredited laboratories capable of verifying whether Tajik honey complies with all European standards.

All these procedures have yet to be fully organised, as the results achieved so far have been insufficient or questionable.

In addition to bureaucratic difficulties, there are other more tangible challenges, such as the small size of the hives, which are difficult to combine in order to organise stable and regular deliveries. Farmers need to be brought together in cooperatives, and state-of-the-art warehouses with effective processing capabilities are needed.

National pride, a trait deeply rooted in the Tajik soul, is not enough; it must also be transformed into the ability to unite and work towards achieving growth objectives for the entire national economy, perhaps starting with the sweetness of honey.