Thu, 10 May 2012

Beekeeping could create between 3,000 and 6,000 jobs in the province of León if plans from local business group the Federation of Leonese Business Federation (Fele) come to fruition, reports local news service LeoNoticias.com.

The push is being led by Fele alongside apiculture (beekeeping) consultancy Consultora Apícola Urzapa and local industry website AbejasBierzo.es.

Currently, there are around 1,000 beekeeping facilities in the province, according to Urbano González of industry consultancy Consultora Apícola Urzapa. But with the majority of these being family business “which pass from father to son”, they average around 25 hives apiece, rather than the 150 that a professionally-run facility would normally exceed.

Urzapa will be offering analysis, discounted equipment and other support to local beekeepers, while AbejasBierzo offers apiculture software for €6 (£4.8) per month.