Kenya has launched the first bee venom marketplace in Africa, in Nairobi, and this marks a new era in agricultural innovation in the region. This will provide new opportunities for making money for various farmers and business enterprises in Kenya.
During the launch, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSME Development, Wycliffe Oparanya, stated, “We are at a turning point in Kenya’s agricultural sector, where we are adding value to our products and no longer exporting raw materials out of the country. We aim to increase value addition in our agricultural sector, which will help us in creating jobs and developing enterprises, and eventually establish Kenya in new markets.”
Oparanya stated that new jobs will be created in Kenya through the growth of enterprises, the growth of manufacturing, and value addition. These are significant opportunities, especially for the youth and women.
Savannah Honey CEO Paul Kyalo Mutua said many farmers still concentrate on honey because it is what they know and are used to. But he explained that while honey is produced in large amounts, the earnings are often not as high as people expect. Bee venom, on the other hand, is harvested in very small quantities but sells at a much higher price in international markets.
He noted that the global bee venom market is currently worth about 370 million US dollars, yet African farmers have not fully benefited from it due to poor standards, limited skills and the absence of organised markets.
Mutua said the new marketplace has been created to change that by giving farmers proper training, technical guidance, quality assurance and a reliable buyer for their products.
He added that a single beehive can produce around 0.5 grams of venom in one harvest. With several harvests in a year, a farmer can get up to 10 grams from one hive annually, making it a potentially profitable venture despite the small volumes
The value chain in bee products has great opportunities, especially in the production of medicine, cosmetics, and alternative medicine.
The new marketplace will provide opportunities for various farmers and cooperatives, and they will benefit from high-income opportunities in bee venom, which is in great demand locally.
