Riyadh: On the occasion of World Bee Day, which falls on May 20, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced that honey production in Saudi Arabia has reached 5,000 tons annually. The National Strategy for Agriculture has contributed to increasing the number of beekeepers registered with the ministry to over 20,000, the ministry also said. Aware of the economic value of honey, Assistant Undersecretary for Livestock and Fisheries at the ministry Dr. Ali Al-Sheikhi said that the ministry has come up with a plan to boost beekeeping and honey production in the Kingdom, and launched several initiatives to protect local bee species and increase production of honey and bee products. He added that through the Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program "Reef Saudi", the ministry has lent its support to over 10,000 beekeepers in all regions of the Kingdom. Since the launch of the program, he said, total support for the honey sector has stood at SAR140 million. The ministry also supported 11 projects in various regions of the Kingdom to contribute to the sustainability and development of the sector, empower Saudi beekeepers and localize the profession. Al-Sheikhi said the ministry contributed to the localization of the beekeeping profession by training 1,500 Saudi beekeepers from all regions of the Kingdom, and organizing specialized training programs in beekeeping, manufacturing honey products and marketing for over 800 beekeepers. He said that the success of the beekeeping sector in the Kingdom is testament to the efforts and excellence of Saudi beekeepers. Their commitment to achieving the highest quality of honey by adhering to international standards confers a distinguished status on Saudi honey worldwide. Source: Saudi Press Agency