Keeping bees comes in as a viable option for people keen to make this dream come true.
Anyii, a former sub-county chief of Ngetta, who left his job to concentrate on apiary on his Taf Assured Mixed Farm, in 2013 says beekeeping is a rewarding venture worth every attention.
He says that the activity comparatively requires low investment. Yet the basic requirements are beehives, protective clothing and a few simple tools, especially for harvesting.
“Anyone can keep bees because there is no daily routine of feeding or medication yet the rewards are immense,” he says.
The National Agricultural Advisory Services (Naads), popularised beekeeping in the early 2000s by giving free hives, which increased the interest in apiary, especially in northern Uganda.
Anyii, who was also a beneficiary of the support when Naads gave him five local beehives before he got another in 2011.
Ideally, according to Uganda Investment Authority’s assessment, investing in this business on a large scale requires you to have a starting capital of about Shs26.6m. This will involve purchasing three acres of land where to place the beehives, 50 beehives, a centrifuge machine, smoker pumps, protective wears, buckets and filtering sieves plus hive tools.
With this kind of investment, one will be assured of a revenue potential of at least Shs37m per year and a profit margin of 73 per cent. The expected payback period is seven months. In case you buy honey in bulk from the producers, process, pack and brand it for the market, you would need a starting capital of about Shs155,000.
But Anyii prefers the lower end. According to Honey Centre in Kampala, the basics include a bee suit (veil and overall) that cost about Shs180,000, gloves of Shs30,000, gumboots estimated at Shs25,000, a smoker, which comes in handy at harvest time, which goes for Shs40,000 as well as hive tools and bee brushes, which are available for a combined Shs40,000.
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