Beekeeping offers lucrative business opportunities- UNILORIN don
By Bashir Dawodu
A lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ilorin, Dr Kaothar Kayode Azeez, has described beekeeping as a highly lucrative but underexplored business opportunity in Nigeria, while advocating for greater awareness and investment in the sector.
Dr Azeez made the remarks last Tuesday, (July 14, 2026). while discussing findings from his research, titled “Analysis of the Information Needs of Beekeepers in Oyo State, Nigeria”, in an interview with UNILORIN Bulletin in his office.
According to him, the low level of participation in beekeeping is largely due to inadequate awareness of its economic potential, despite the industry’s capacity to create wealth, generate employment and contribute to national economic development.
Dr Azeez explained that beekeeping is a viable agricultural enterprise in Nigeria and other developing countries, with significant potential to boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings through the export of bee products.
“The sector’s potential for sustainable household economic development and poverty eradication can be harnessed to create employment opportunities for the large percentage of unemployed Nigerian youths,” he said.
Dr Azeez noted that the benefits of beekeeping extend beyond income generation to include environmental conservation,medicinal applications and social development. He added that honey production remains the primary focus of beekeeping in Nigeria, making the enterprise largely economically driven.
The researcher observed that commercial beekeeping remains largely untapped,as many Nigerians still rely on traditional farming methods.
He explained that it was high time the country stopped depending on imported honey to meet domestic demand.
According to him,Nigeria has the capacity to produce about 20 million litres of honey annually but currently produces only an estimated two million litres each year.
He attributed the production gap to inadequate access to timely and reliable information on improved beekeeping practices,as well as insufficient government commitment and supportive policies.
Dr Azeez identified major challenges confronting apiculture in tropical countries as limited access to suitable markets, inappropriate processing technologies, inadequate technical knowledge and lack of capital and financial resources.
He also highlighted critical areas where beekeepers require additional training and information, including colony division, improved colony management practices, queen rearing, swarm catching, pest and disease control, apiary pen construction and apitherapy.
“Theft and vandalism, impractical information and inadequate finances remain the major bottlenecks to information accessibility and utilisation among beekeepers,” he said.
Dr Azeez called for regular training programmes and improved dissemination of practical knowledge to strengthen the capacity of beekeepers.
He expressed confidence that equipping farmers with modern beekeeping skills would enhance productivity, increase incomes and promote sustainable livelihoods across the sector.
