MSI Honey Bee Production Project through BCDP to enhance social mobility of local community and uplift honey bee industry in Malaysia

Kuala Linggi, 5 April 2016 – Malaysia’s honey bee industry is set to get a boost following the official handover of the MOSTI Social Innovation (MSI) project to Persatuan Penternak Madu Lebah Komersial Kuala Linggi in Malacca. Facilitated by Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp) through the Bioeconomy Community Development Programme (BCDP), the MSI Honey Bee Production Project allowed 8 members of the Association to receive technical training, apiculture equipment and 54 boxes with bee colonies for contract farming through a buy-back guarantee agreement with Flora Bee Hive Enterprise Sdn Bhd (Flora Bee Hive). After completion of the project, which ran from 1 September 2015 to 1 March 2016, members of the Association are now able to manage the bee boxes as well as harvest and sell the honey produced from the bees.

“This project illustrates the impact of BCDP in developing beekeepers into Bio-Agropreneurs by improving their knowledge management and technical skills through science and technology. With these acquired skills and experience, members of the Association can make a significant contribution to the honey bee industry in Malaysia by producing consistent and sustainable supply of honey. This will reduce our dependency on imported honey, and more importantly, it will generate additional income to the members and uplift the social mobility of the community as a whole,” said Deputy Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI), Datuk Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah, who represented the Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation, Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau in officiating the handover ceremony. He added that Malaysia can capitalise on honey’s natural and functional benefits, which are widely used for healthcare, wellness, beauty and anti-aging purposes.

“The MSI Honey Bee Production Project through BCDP is a further step in BiotechCorp’s commitment to increase the B40 household income and transform the potential of rural development through Bioeconomy,” said Chief Executive Officer of BiotechCorp, Dato’ Dr Mohd Nazlee Kamal. “The project can contribute to the country’s economic growth through the development of bio-entrepreneurship among local communities, thus providing continuous additional income to members of the Association. With Flora Bee Hive as the leading developer of honey bee industry in Malaysia coupled with the acquired technical skills of the Association’s members, we can help propel this industry to the global stage.”

The project also allows Flora Bee Hive, an anchor company for the Honey Bee Production Project under BCDP and Bioeconomy Transformation Programme (BTP), to increase the supply of raw honey which will then be processed and exported. The project can help to increase honey production in Malaysia, which currently stands at 3%, and subsequently fulfill the high demand for honey in the local and global markets. In the long term, the project is expected to create more job opportunities for the community in the surrounding areas through related activities such as fabrication of new bee boxes and selling of honey-based products. An awareness programme on the potential of the bee farming industry was also organised to create interest in the programme.

In 2015, 23 projects have been implemented under BCDP, involving more than 300 farmers. These projects are expected to create additional income with an average of RM4,300 per farmer, directly impacting 1,642 lives. A total of 30 BCDP projects involving 500 farmers are targeted in 2016, which are expected to give an average additional monthly income of RM4,500 per farmer. As of March 2016, 4 projects have been implemented under BCDP that involves 375 farmers.