Honey collectors from four provinces in Cambodia signed an agreement with the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) in order to bring more honey to the capital.

CEDAC has encouraged farmers from four provinces – Preah Vihear, Kratie, Koh Kong and Mondulkiri – to collect honey from their communities to sell in CEDAC stores in Phnom Penh.

The initiative comes as customers are relatively uncertain about the country’s honey products, but CEDAC is attempting to take the honey to be examined and standardised, which customers tend to be more interested in, according to CEDAC President Yang Saing Koma.

Under the agreement, bee-hunting communities would supply 4,000 litres of pure forest honey each year for sale in 10 shops across Phnom Penh, Yang said.

“We hope that, through this agreement, CEDAC and forest honey hunter communities will benefit by both increasing their incomes and preserving natural resources for each community,” said Yang.

Pich Phony, president of the Cambodian Honey Hunter Community, which represents about 300 members in Mondulkiri, Koh Kong, Kratie and Preah Vihear provinces, said the honey would be sold to CEDAC for US$9.70 per litre.

He added that the honey hunter communities in the four provinces are able to collect from 5,000 to 8,000 litres of honey in total per year at present.

According to official figures, only 10 per cent of the 500,000 litres of honey demanded domestically each year is currently supplied by Cambodia’s collectors.

It is hoped that the deal will also help strengthen community conservation of hives and natural forest resources, said Pich Phony.

To contact the reporter on this story: Meas Sokchea at [email protected]