NASSAU, The Bahamas – Officials at the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development have teamed up with Bahamas Ambassador to CARICOM, His Excellency Reuben Rahming to establish beekeeping programmes at both the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys and Williemae Pratt Centre for Girls.

Honey Bees will be used to facilitate the beekeeping programme. The expected outcomes of the programme, which will be facilitated through the Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services, are two-fold: first to provide residents of both schools with their own, regular supply of honey, and secondly, to provide residents with opportunities to engage in industry and entrepreneurship.

Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell, made the announcement during a recent tour of both facilities. He said the collaboration is expected to pay “great dividends” on both fronts.

“More and more persons are moving away from using sugar as their sweetener of choice to using honey which has resulted in increased demand for, and an increase in the value of, honey globally,” Minister Campbell said.

“Ambassador Rahming has expertise in this area and has agreed to partner with us to share that expertise with the residents in addition to providing them with instruction in the best internationally accepted standards with regards to the safe and best ways to establish and operate beekeeping apiaries.

“Additional instruction will be provided with regards to the safe extraction of the honey in order for the residents to be able to feed themselves in the first instance, and to also help them turn the skills they would have developed under his tutelage into entrepreneurial opportunities once they leave the centres, if that is their desire.

“He has also indicated that he will provide egg-laying chickens so that the residents will have a constant supply of eggs to supplement egg supplies,” Minister Campbell added.

Officials say honey bees are mostly very docile in nature and use stinging as a last resort since once they sting, they die.  The bees are also said to be great pollinators, responsible for the successful seeding of 90 per cent of all flowering plants and 30 per cent of fruit trees.

Ambassador Rahming categorized beekeeping as a “low impact, very aggressively and expanding” industry.  He said one of the key objectives of the programme is to develop those residents interested into becoming professional apiarists.  “The plan is to not only assist with establishing the beekeeping programme, but at the end of the day, enabling the residents to become professional apiarists if they so desire,” Ambassador Rahming said.

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Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell (centre) touring facilities at the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys during a recent visit.  Officials visited a number of locations on the grounds that would be prime to establish the beekeeping programme.  Also pictured (at left) is Bahamas Ambassador to CARICOM, His Excellency, Reuben Rahming and (at right) Mrs. Lillian Quant-Forbes, Director, Department of Social Services.   (BIS Photo/Matt Maura)