Beekeeper needs technical assistance

AN Engan who has ventured into honey business says he still lacks the skills and knowledge on how to advance his business.
Andrew Tom, from Niugu village in Laiagam, said he was an avid honey farmer for eight years without earning any good income.
Tom said he wanted to do something different from the rest of the community by starting a honey making business in 2012.
He was interested in honey farming and travelled to Goroka and purchased five boxes of honey hive at a cost of K2,000.
“I placed them around my backyard and planted flowers within a 200m perimeter,” he said. Tom said after a year, he added more boxes and had a total of 60 hives in his backyard.
“My problem is, I have no knowledge about extraction machines so I bought a faulty second-hand manual extraction machine in 2013 at the cost of K2,000,” he said.
Tom said he needed technical assistance from Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) officers in the district and province to help him.
Meanwhile, chairman of Lagaip Sangai Festival Tony Sulupin said the first honey extraction would be launched during the festival’s agricultural displays at Wanepop village, Laiagam, on Aug 5-6.
He said farmers could use the platform to showcase their range of agricultural produce and services.