Despite a global bee shortage and fears that Europe’s bee population could be wiped out in just over a decade, Croatia is experiencing a honey boom. Croatia’s Agriculture Minister Tihomir Jakovina, speaking during the opening of the 9th International Honey and Beekeeping Fair in Gudovec, has said that beekeeping is currently one of the most successful parts of Croatian agriculture.
The number of beekeepers in Croatia has almost doubled in the last five years, growing to around 9,000 beekeepers with half a million hives. Annually more than 6,000 tons of honey is produced in Croatia, worth close to 30 million euros. A third of all honey produced in Croatia is exported.
With a shortage of bees in a number of European countries, many will be relying on Croatia’s honey exports in the future. The European Union currently imports more than 200,000 tons of honey a year. Austria alone import around 50% of their honey needs, as local beekeepers can not produce enough honey for the local market.