DIAGNOSIS OF HONEY PRODUCTION AND MARKETING IN TAPEROÁ CITY, PARAÍBA, BRAZIL

Abstract

Beekeeping is a successful production activity for the Brazilian semiarid because it demands little labor and low maintenance costs, besides it can be profitable. Such as presenting excellent productive results, it is still little practiced in Paraíba. As it is a sustainable and decisive activity for job and income generation, it is necessary to intensify research relevant to the activity to strengthen the regional agribusiness. The study was carried out during June and July 2019, aiming to diagnose the production and commercialization of honey in Taperoá, Paraíba. During the process, visits were made to beekeepers, market and interviews with consumers of the municipality of Taperoá. It was observed that to obtain satisfactory production results it is necessary to use the species of bees specialized in high production, in this case under study conditions the bees of the species Apis mellifera and for feeding in the rainy periods the recommendation is to use the vegetation itself Brazilian semiarid region, which guarantees the production of honey with high purity and nutritious. For the dry season that decreases the density of natural foods, alternative feeding is recommended. The commercialization takes place in several ways, where some of the honey is sold at open markets, small markets and associations and another part is consumed by producers. In short, the preservation of beekeeping activity is important for Brazilian agribusiness, as it generates jobs and income, as well as ensuring the sustainability of the environment and reducing rural exodus.