Locals receive beehive boxes from partners

THE oil and gas-rich Lake Kutubu area in Southern Highlands was given 20 bee hive boxes when the Goroka-based Helping Hands Honey Bee Producers’ (HHHBP) started a partnership with World Wide Fund (WWF).
HHHP managing director Kelly Inae said WWF was one of the first partners his entity has partnered to train locals in Kutubu to go into honey production.
He said they engaged farmers in three locations in Kutubu – higher altitude, lower altitude and in an island land mass of Lake Kutubu.
“Which location we get good quality harvest, we will concentrate production there,” Inae said.
He said they were looking forward to partnering with women groups in the community and empower men to participate also.
Inae thanked WWF for funding the training.
WWF’s initiative to introduce honey bee projects to the Foe tribe of Lake Kutubu would see a second and third lot of bee hive boxes that would be given to them.
“It was motivational because the Foe tribe of Kutubu are not benefiting from the oil and gas projects as they are situated far away,” he said.
“They embraced the bee project, while the Faso tribe benefited from oil.”