A project is underway in Bingöl province in Eastern Turkey to register the honey produced in the plateaus with rich floras with a geographical indication.

Mehmet Can Üzer, the chairman of the Bingöl Bee Farmers Association, said in a statement to Anadolu Agency (AA) that the honey harvest started in the plateaus and that the yield was lower than the last year due to the weather conditions.Saying there were 950 beekeepers and 140,000 hives registered with the association, Üzer stated that they occasionally went out to plateaus to detect the problems of the beekeepers on the spot.He said that the producers received 27 kilograms of honey from two hives last year, while only 27 kilograms of honey could be obtained from five hives this year due to the weather conditions in the plateaus, adding they were producing quality honey instead of producing more in quantity.

"In 2018 our plateaus were a little unfruitful. Despite this, all our beekeepers tried to produce quality honey without compromising on quality. We are in collaboration with Bingöl University for the use of Bingöl honey as a cure. We are working with Pilot University Coordination Center (PICOM) established within Bingöl University for the registration of the Bingöl honey with the geographical indication," Üzer continued.

"We are collaborating with Bingöl University to increase and brand the quality of Bingöl plateau honey. After these studies, we will have registered Bingöl honey. This year's yield has not been much, but we have never compromised on quality. We attach great importance to quality rather than overproduction," he added.

Laboratory analysis of honey samples

Üzer stated that the analysis of honey samples collected from the plateaus with the PİKOM project is underway in the laboratories.

He added that the difference between the honey produced in the Bingöl province and other types of honey will be revealed in this regard and that they will come into contact with the relevant institutions for the registration of the honey as a geographical indication with these data.

He noted that last year about 800 tons of honey was harvested, while this year they expect a harvest slightly below this figure.

Üzer explained that one kilogram of extracted honey is sold at TL 50 ($8.13), one kilogram of comb honey at around TL 70, and one kilogram of karakovan honey at TL 150.

Honey harvest starts in Bingöl plateaus

Going to regions with hot climate like Adana and Mersin in the winter months and coming back in the spring to accommodate in plateaus with rich floras in Bingöl, the beekeepers started to harvest honey in this period they call "milking" time.

Beekeeper Mücdettin Çakan said he started to harvest honey from the hives he placed in the plateau of Kartal village, and that production was lower compared to the previous year, but he never compromised on quality.

"I deploy my bees away from settlements. I do not use additives in any way. I make sure that honey is of better quality," Çakan said. "We shy away from medicine. If you work cleanly, the quality honey comes out eventually. The Bingol honey is already qualified."