Honey for health and wealth

If you want your “honey” to be happy, invest in honey. It will bring both health and wealth.

At the first International Symposium on Honey and Health held in Sacramento, California, in January 2008, the following significant findings were disclosed: honey enhances immunity, as shown when 32 percent of cancer patients in an immunity study reported improvement in their quality of life as a result of fewer infections; honey is better tolerated by the body than sweeteners leading to better blood sugar control; and honey is a more effective cough remedy than methorphan for children aged 2 to 18 years.

An article in the Jan. 17, 1995, issue of the Canadian Magazine “Weekly World News”, meanwhile, said that the following diseases can be cured by honey and cinnamon:

1. Heart disease. Make a paste out of honey and cinnamon powder; apply to bread instead of jelly or jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from a heart attack.

2. Arthritis. In a Copenhagen University study, doctors treated their patients with one tablespoon of honey and a half teaspoon of cinnamon powder before breakfast. Within a week, 73 of the 200 patients were totally relieved of pain. Within a month, “mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.”

3. Cholesterol. Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of cinnamon powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, taken three times a day, can bring down cholesterol levels.

4. Immune system. Scientists have found that the daily consumption of honey and cinnamon powder protects the body from bacterial and viral attacks because they have large amounts of vitamins and iron. These strengthen the white blood corpuscles that fight bacterial and viral diseases.

Wealth

With more people knowing honey’s health benefits, the demand for honey will increase and thus presents a good business opportunity.

We constructed the table below from the information given by John Domagtoy (09054177013) of the Philippine Coconut Administration (PCA). This is from his actual experience helping coconut farmers. The only difference in the results as compared to non-coconut farmers is the initial 30 percent increase in copra yield because of the pollination provided by the honeybees.

The small P15,000 investment needed for the two honeybee colonies during the first year can yield enough income to subsequently fund two more colonies for the second and third years, resulting in a total of six colonies. If we subtract the P15,000 needed at the end of years 1 and 2 to provide for the new colonies, the farmer is still left with P9,000 and P27,000, respectively. From then on, the annual net income will be P60,000. Not bad for a P15,000 investment!

If the small farmer does not have this P15,000, a loan from the Land Bank can easily be paid before the end of the second year. He will then have a net income of P27,000 for the two years and an annual P60,000 net income from the third year onwards.

Despite these very attractive prospects, the PCA has no program for a honeybee project for coconut farmers, reportedly because of “lack of funds”.

Recommendation

We recommend that the Department of Agriculture (DA) forge a Memorandum of Agreement with the Land Bank for a special loan program for this and other similar projects. Instead of requiring full-blown feasibility studies that small farmers are not capable of doing, the very innovative new Land Bank procedure of doing a feasibility study template for the farmers and adjusting this for local conditions should be adopted. So far, this successful practice is done only for malunggay.

We have talked with PCA Administrator Euclides Forbes, DA Agricultural Training Director Asterio Saliot and Land Bank Executive Vice President Cecille Borromeo about this. They agreed in principle to support this. We now await the favorable response from their bosses: Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and Land Bank President Gilda Pico.

As for a non-coconut farmer, he or she can get funding from other sources. The New Year can then start with prospects of better health, more wealth, and a more happy “honey” from this promising new venture in honey.

(The author is chairman of Agriwatch, former secretary for presidential flagship programs and projects, and former undersecretary for Agriculture, and Trade and Industry. For inquiries and suggestions, email [email protected] or telefax (02) 8522112)

HONEYBEE INCOME

Product     Year 1      Year 2      Year 3

Honey       P15,000     P30,000     P45,000

By-Products P2,000      P4,000      P6,000

Increased Copra Yield

P7,000      P8,000      P9,000

Total       P24,000     P42,000     P60,000

*From only P15,000 investment