A DIVISION of the Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agriculture has signed a contract to buy  5,000 litres of honey for about US$47,500 from producers, an increase on previous years, CEDAC Enterprise President Lang Seng Horng said.

The deal with the Cambodian Community Federation for the Collection and Conservation of Forest Honey will help honey collectors in rural areas, he said.

“By buying the honey, I have found that it helps improve the living standard of people and especially could draw their attention to this career,” Lang Seng Horng said, adding that honey collection also leads to forest preservation.

Last year, the division bought about 3,000 litres of honey, he said, and he expected he will be able to buy around 10,000 litres next year.

Moeng Mean, acting chief of the Cambodian Community Federation for the Collection and Conservation of Forest Honey, said that demand for this honey is rising, as is its price.

As a result, Moeng Mean said, “Now the holders of this career are on the increase.”

He said honey is being collected by people in Koh Kong, Preah Vihear, Kratie, and Mondulkiri provinces.