A congregation of the world’s beekeepers in the Dalmatian capital.
On Saturday, the International Beekeeping Fair was opened in Split, organized by the Split-Dalmatia Beekeeping Association. The two-day fair was officially opened by Split-Dalmatia Country Prefect Zlatko Ževrnja who stressed the role of beekeeping in the Croatian economy. He pointed out the importance of honey, not just as food but also as a medicine, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on November 22, 2015.
“This is a great opportunity for others to engage in this economic activity. because the islands and inland Dalmatia are perfectly suited for beekeeping. During all these years, the County has financially supported fairs and loans to agricultural producers, including beekeepers”, the prefect added.
President of the Split-Dalmatia Beekeeping Association Ivan Mravak said he was satisfied with the response of beekeepers and exhibitors. Their common wish is to increase their production since Croatia has a good market and a long tourist season which consumes a lot of honey. He warned that the Croatian retail chains include on their shelves a lot of honey imported from other countries, particularly China, which does not contain much actual honey.
Local beekeepers claim that state institutions have not protected local producers. “Customers are always advised to buy local honey directly from producers, beekeepers. In that case, the customer can be sure that he is buying the highest quality honey, because beekeepers are not in a position to manipulate and they do not want to lose their market share. Dalmatia is a perfect area for beekeeping, since there is no pollution. Therefore, the Dalmatian honey is among the best in the world”, Mravak said.
It is expected that this weekend’s International Beekeeping Fair in Split will be attended by around 4,000 visitors from Dalmatia and surrounding areas. During the fair, about a hundred samples of honey will be assessed by the Faculty of Agriculture from Zagreb.
The fair brings together about 70 of the leading honey producers from Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, as well as equipment manufacturers, representatives of associations of producers, individual producers and guests from the EU member states.
President of the Split-Dalmatia Beekeeping Association said they also expected representatives of leading retail chains, hoteliers, restaurateurs, organizations and institutions from Croatia and Europe. The Association was founded in 2010, and currently includes 20 local branches, with about 800 members and 35,000 beehives.
