How can Chinese honey fetch a good price?

On March 31, Huang Pulian's apiary was about to move, and their next destination was Yulin, Guangxi, “where the flowers bloom late; the rapeseed flowers here have faded, and over there they are just blooming.”

At this moment, they were busy packing, fastening the latches on the beehives, tying them with ropes, gathering up the tent and belongings and putting them in the vehicle, then carrying two beehives at a time on a shoulder pole, making trip after trip to load them onto the vehicle.

From beekeeper to beekeeping company

“If we don't move again, they'll spray pesticide here.” Before the flowers fade and set fruit, farmers generally spray pesticide once on the fruit trees. As long as bees suck nectar from flowers that have been sprayed with pesticide, they will be poisoned. The severe cases die on the way back after flying; the less severe cases carry the honey back to the beehive, and if the other bees eat it, the whole hive will be ruined. “They get dizzy, spin around on the ground, and stick out their tongues.” In fact, this was exactly the scene he had witnessed just four days earlier, yet mid-conversation it was time to move again.

This young man from Wuzhou, Guangxi, single-handedly kept 200 beehives. In the past, moving once was like peeling off a layer of skin, but now things are different. Huang Pulian has a new identity: a beekeeper for Tianmijia Bee Industry Co., Ltd.

The company paid to hire two temporary movers for him, and beekeepers from nearby apiaries also came to help. In less than two hours, the dozens of beehives on the ground were all loaded onto the vehicle. The remaining more than one hundred beehives were kept year-round in the beekeeping vehicle. The vehicle goes where the people go, and it has independent living space on board, as well as a solar power generation device, so lighting, watching TV, and even running the air conditioner in summer are no problem.

In addition, drivers and technicians are readily available, and they do not need to worry about choosing sites or dealing with locals who come to harass them. Moreover, the company bears the risk, and they themselves bear only part of the responsibility. Such a team can be called a first of its kind. When experts from the national beekeeping association came to inspect, they did not dare easily take a stance on whether to sound a warning or promote it.

Thinking back to four years ago when he entered the industry, he still knew nothing, and now he has already become the owner of 200 beehives. Huang Pulian was somewhat proud, and he said he wanted to thank one person. This person is his fellow townsman, and also the boss of Tianmijia: Huang Zhonglian.

Honey price less than half that of foreign countries

Huang Zhonglian had his own considerations. “China is a major beekeeping country, but a small honey-producing country. The average export price is only 1,800 USD/ton, while Turkey's average price reaches 4,000 yuan/ton.” He said that in the final analysis there is too much fake honey on the market. “Preserved-fruit syrup mixed with 5% honey is also sold at the price of pure honey.” Ordinary people find it hard to tell true from false, so they have no choice but to buy imported honey.

So he wants to change this. The beekeepers are all his own, and the nectar source, quality, and medication can all be controlled. “Honey collected outside may be only 36 degrees (33% water content). Our own apiary does not seek quick success and instant benefits; we wait until the honey is capped before extracting it, and the concentration can reach 42 degrees (water content less than 20%).” At present, 35 bee vehicles have been or are preparing to be put into production.

According to Huang Zhonglian's plan, by 2017 there should be 300 beekeeping vehicles put into production, with one vehicle collecting 500 tons of honey a year, and all of the company's honey produced and sold by itself. He also wants to make the beekeepers' story into a micro-film and list his honey company on the SME board. Now is the time to lay the foundation, to explore a safe and standardized production model, and to select suitable management talent……

These past two days, taking advantage of a meeting in Guangzhou, Huang Zhonglian bought an imported wax press from Poland. Who would have thought that when the beeswax was fed into the working opening, no wax came out. He called the manufacturer and only then understood clearly that this machine is one link in an assembly line and is difficult to operate on its own. Following the advice, Huang Zhonglian found two wooden sticks to simulate the rolling and crushing work. Not only was the motion comical, it was even more time-consuming and laborious than a manual wax press. Huang Zhonglian laughed: “This machine does not suit China's national conditions.”

There are also some troublesome matters. By rights, last year the Ministry of Agriculture already included special beekeeping platforms in the scope of national subsidies. According to the regulations, special beekeeping vehicles, as non-operating vehicles, do not need to apply for operating permits, can travel on all kinds of roads, enjoy green channel treatment, and are not charged any fees. But many toll stations still do not accept this, and calling the police was useless; instead they were falsely accused in return.

How to walk a beekeeping path suited to China's national conditions and create a major brand that ordinary people trust, perhaps Huang Zhonglian and these people wandering in spring still have a long way to go.