– students, young beekeepers rewarded during Honey Fest 2026 prize-giving ceremony
Agriculture Minister, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, is encouraging more young people to explore the economic opportunities available in Guyana’s rapidly expanding apiculture industry, as the Government continues to invest in increasing honey production to meet growing local and regional demand.
The Minister made the appeal earlier today while presenting prizes to students from several secondary schools for their outstanding performances in the cooking competition held as part of the recently concluded Honey Fest 2026. During the ceremony, young beekeepers and recent graduates of the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) also received equipment and other inputs to support the expansion of their honey-producing enterprises.
While addressing the gathering, Minister Mustapha highlighted the significant progress made in developing the apiculture industry over the past six years, noting that annual honey production has increased from approximately 2,000 gallons in 2020 to 38,500 gallons in 2025. With continued investments and technical support, he expressed optimism that production could approach 50,000 gallons by the end of 2026.
“In 2020, when I became Minister, we were producing just about 2,000 gallons of honey annually. Now, when we look at the production and the investment that has been made to develop the sector, I am optimistic that by the end of this year, our production will be close to 50,000 gallons. Last year’s production was 38,500 gallons, so we are moving in the right direction,” Minister Mustapha said.
Despite the substantial increase in production, the Minister explained that Guyana continues to face a shortfall in meeting domestic demand for honey, presenting considerable opportunities for new and existing producers to expand their operations.
He disclosed that the country continues to spend approximately US$3 million annually on honey imports, underscoring the importance of increasing local production as part of the Government’s wider efforts to reduce the food import bill and strengthen agricultural self-sufficiency.
“Honey is a very lucrative product. It is in demand, not only in Guyana but across the region. We cannot satisfy the local demand even though we were able to increase honey production tremendously. Our import bill for honey is three million USD annually, even with what we are producing. So, in our efforts to reduce the food import bill, we are investing to further increase honey production in Guyana,” he stated.
Minister Mustapha said the industry’s continued expansion provides an opportunity to introduce more young people to agriculture, particularly through beekeeping, which has the potential to develop into a sustainable and profitable enterprise.
He reminded the gathering of a commitment made during Honey Fest 2026 to distribute 10 hive boxes to every registered beekeeper in the country and indicated that the Ministry is prepared to extend additional support to students interested in entering the industry.
“At Honey Fest, I made a commitment that we will distribute 10 boxes to every registered beekeeper in the country. Today, I want to take it a bit further to see how we can assist those of you who are present here, especially the schoolchildren. If you have an interest in apiculture, we will train you. So, by the time you’re out of school, you will have your own hives and honey business,” he said.
The Minister explained that the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) could provide the necessary training and technical guidance to interested students, with the possibility of developing a pilot initiative that could subsequently be extended to secondary schools across the country.
He also disclosed that he has instructed the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) to work towards ensuring that secondary schools have active agricultural science departments, supported by resources and technical guidance from the Ministry.
“I am happy that we have so many young people involved in agriculture now. I’ve instructed NAREI to ensure all the secondary schools have an active agricultural science department. The Ministry will offer support in terms of resources and guidance,” he said.
He further explained that encouraging youth participation is central to the Government’s efforts to transform the agriculture sector through innovation, technology and greater value addition.
“Agriculture has always been one of the main pillars of production and development in Guyana. But, with what we are doing now, Guyana is moving from a primary producer to a value-added powerhouse. We are moving from labour-intensive agricultural activities to more technologically advanced activities,” Minister Mustapha stated.
As part of the ceremony, two young beekeepers from Sandvoort, Oris Sinclair Jr. and Aiden Hope, were recognised as the youngest apiculturists. Each received 10 beehive boxes, a complete beekeeping suit and a smoker to assist with expanding their operations.
Three recent graduates of the Guyana School of Agriculture also received inputs to support the expansion of their honey production activities.
Meanwhile, Queen’s College emerged as the overall winner of the Honey Fest 2026 cooking competition and received a refrigerator. Buxton Practical Instruction Centre secured second place and was awarded a gas stove, while Christ Church Secondary placed third and received a microwave.
St. Joseph High School and Golden Grove Secondary School placed fourth and fifth, respectively, with both schools receiving food processors.
In the individual cooking categories, Christ Church Secondary won Best Appetizer, while Queen’s College secured both Best Main Course and Best Dessert.
Minister Mustapha congratulated the participating schools for their creativity and enthusiasm, noting that the competition demonstrated the versatility of honey and the opportunities available for developing value-added products.
