Interrupted for More than 8 Years -Beekeeping is Recovering in Deir Ezzor Province

  After an interruption that lasted for more than eight years, beekeeping and honey production in Deir Ezzor province have began gradually to recover from the impacts of terrorist vandalism and sabotage.

Beekeeping, on the banks of the Euphrates River, has returned today through several projects in the province, including a project, set up by beekeeper Sarhan al-Alawi. He started his project months ago on his farm in the newly liberated al-Huwaiqa neighborhood. In the city of Deir Al-Zour, the location of his farm is in the middle area between the two Euphrates River’s branches.

Al-Alawi said that beekeeping is one of the professions that Deir Ezzor province is famous for, given the availability of appropriate pastures and an ideal Euphrates environment, along with the richness of the area with various kinds of flowers and trees, such as almond trees and citrus fruits, including lemons, eucalyptus, thorny bushes, carob & palm trees.

 Al-Alawi added that beekeeping had stopped for more than eight years during which bee hives were sabotaged and destroyed by terrorists. However, following the liberation of Deir Ezzor and the return of security and stability, , various economic activities, especially agricultural projects, returned to work as before.

 Al-Alawi went on to say that he has been working in beekeeping for more than forty years, as he inherited the profession from his grandparents, expressing happiness to work again. He said that he brought forty bee colonies from Tartus and Lattakia provinces. Using his experience in beekeeping, he took good care of them. Al-Alawi commented with satisfaction that the good spring season this year doubled the number of his bee colonies to one hundred and twenty one.

In addition to honey production, al-Alawi extracts propolis, which is a useful component for medical treatment, and markets his products in the local markets of DeirEzzor province.

Al-Alawi stressed that beekeeping in Deir Al-Zour is a successful economic project by all standards, calling for more attention to such projects, and for providing support to beekeepers so that they can return to work and restore such an important activity because of its economic, medical and environmental significance.

 Rayan Faouri