The Bee Research Unit Launches a Training Program in Cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Nahal "Beekeeper" Association
The Bee Research and Honey Production Unit at King Khalid University in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture Branch in Asir Region, and the “Nahal” Association launched an advanced training program to qualify Saudi youth to work in the craft of beekeeping and honey production, in the presence of the supervisor of the bee research unit and honey production at the university, Prof. Hamid bin Ali Al Gharma, the general director of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture branch in Asir region, Eng. Abdullah Al-Waimani, and the representative of the “Nahal” association, Mr. Khaled Al-Anqari.
The program comes as a frame of the Studies Project for Building and Strengthening National Capabilities by Qualifying Saudi Youth to Professions in the Craft of Beekeeping and Producing its Products", in order to spread and enhance the culture of beekeeping in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the human capacity development programs in the Kingdom's 2030 Vision, in order to keep pace with development requirements and the needs of Labor market.
The supervisor of the Bee Research and Honey Production Unit at the university, Prof. Hamed bin Ali Al Gharama, welcomed the Director of the Ministry of Environment branch, the representative of Nahal Association, and the trainees. He provided an overview of the program and the services provided by the university through the unit, stressing the importance of this program in supporting young people those wishing to invest and breed bees and invest in its products, pointing that the unit will implement this program with the participation of a group of specialists through 300 training hours in 3 months.
Al-Gharama, explained that the program aims to develop the scientific and practical knowledge and skills of the trainees through several points, which are: the definition of the basics of beekeeping, the identification of the economic importance of beekeeping, identifying the necessary tools to work in the field of beekeeping, and the comparison between different bee breeds, as well as the process of preparing the house of bees to receive bees and ways of housing them in the cells.
The attendees and the trainees also learned about the laboratories of the unit, the devices and the facilities available at the university to test the quality of honey, in addition they were introduced to bee habitat
, where the unit’s staff provided a detailed explanation of the available devices and mechanisms of honey production and beekeeping.
It is noteworthy, that the bee research unit and honey production at the university includes a laboratory for applied research for bee's house and a laboratory for analyzing bee products, in addition to a laboratory for diagnosing bee diseases, another for queen breeding, and a laboratory for the production of bee venom.
