“Do not kill bees. Our communal and commercial farmers must consider honey as a cash crop and take it seriously,” he said in an interview. “Bee farming is not demanding. It requires focus and very few resources.”
Mandizvidza and wife, Eviah, are teachers. They decided to set up Natural Harmony Agro in 2009 as a subsidiary of their Three Instincts Trading organisation.
“In 2003 we registered a company called TIT, a mobile phone business, but it did not do well,” he said. “In 2008, during the economic crisis, I decided to venture into the production of honey.” Mandizvidza was keen to diversify agriculture in Zimbabwe.
“We want people to have a diversified approach to farming and not be limited to tobacco, maize and soya farming. The country must take advantage of pollen, nectar and resin that nobody is harvesting and utilise less fertile land, hillsides, swampy areas and valleys,” he said.
Mandizvidza said although Zimbabwe had a favourable environment for beekeeping, the industry had its own challenges. Poor markets and wild fires often threaten the industry.
Post published in: News