A city to come up for bees in Hatta

Dubai - The city will serve as a honey production factory that will provide beekeepers with the latest pollination technologies and laboratories.

The UAE will get its first bee city within the next two years to protect bee species and increase natural honey production, it was announced on Thursday.
Spread over 100,000 square metres in Hatta, the city will serve as a honey production factory that will provide beekeepers with the latest pollination technologies and laboratories. The joint project between the Dubai Municipality and Apiculture and Nature for the betterment of Health and Beauty (ANHB) aims to provide a sustainable solution in beekeeping, achieve food security and improve the quality of honey products.
"The most common question we get from customers is whether the honey they see is genuine. The general trust towards honey products has waned because there is no entity or sector in the UAE that specialises in honey-making," said Manea Al Kaabi, director-general of ANHB, on the sidelines of the third edition of Hatta Honey Festival.
He said the city will be the first national incubator that will provide comprehensive facilities in the beekeeping field. Aside from packaging the honey, the city will provide a lab to test honey products and a logistic service centre for beekeepers and honey producers. A beekeeping training institute, research centre, bee clinic and museum will also be included in the city.
According to figures, bees produce third of the world's food that are dependent on pollination and contribute up to $265 billion to the world economy. At a time when bee populations worldwide are in constant decline due to climate change and other human activities like the use of pesticides, the preservation of these little creatures has become a critical issue for global food security and environmental sustainability.
Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Mehairi, Minister of State for Food Security, told Khaleej Times that the ministry has identified 18 main food items as part of the food security strategy. "When you think the production of food, bees are the main players. Using technology to grow food in greenhouses are all run by bees," Al Mehairi said.
Honey, she said, is among the most important products involved in food manufacturing. "There has become a need to involve the young generation in beekeeping because they play an important role in achieving food security in our country. We are taking steps to encourage youth involvement," said Al Mehairi.
A Bee Garden now open 
Hatta visitors have a new destination to add to their list. High in the exclave's mountains launched a new bee garden aimed to raise a young generation of beekeepers and contribute to achieving food security in the country. 
The Hatta Honey Bee Garden will train aspiring beekeepers and give the public an opportunity to explore the world of honey production. 
"We want to connect the youth to the environment and urge them to use honey to lead a healthy lifestyle. Bees are not only honey-makers, but also an important indicator of their surrounding environment," said Al Kaabi. 
Visitors can expect a detailed look on the honey production process starting from raising queen bees, managing the rearing station to making different types of honey. Visitors will also explore the three main types of trees in the UAE - Ghaf, Sidr and Samar - that bees use their nectars to harvest their honey and the different types of bees in the UAE. 
The site, Al Kaabi said, breeds over 100,000 queen bees annually, rearing the 'Saskatraz' queen bee, a very rare species that grows only Canada and North America. 
This year, the company exported over 1,000 bee hives to Sudan.
On the way out, visitors can grab honey products and gifts or spend some time in the coffee shop to enjoy mountain scenery. 
Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, chairman of ANHB, said besides promoting environmental tourism, the new attraction will reflect the importance and benefits of bee products at a time when the public needs good quality honey with medical benefits. 
He added that it will also reflect the UAE's success in sustaining a healthy bee environment, combatting high temperature and increasing its exports.
Hatta Honey Festival is one of the developmental projects launched within the Comprehensive Hatta Development Plan that saw the launch of the Middle East's first queen bee rearing station last year. 
This year, the festival displays products of over 40 honey manufacturers and shops in Hatta Hall. 
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

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