STORY: Iraqi farmers keen on beekeeping despite challenges
DATELINE: Aug. 8, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:27
LOCATION: Baghdad
CATEGORY: SOCIETY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of beekeepers looking at beehive
2. various of a beekeeper making honey
3. various of honey
 
STORYLINE:
 
Many farmers in Iraq are keen to preserve the profession of beekeeping and honey production, which has been known here since ancient times.
 
However, the beekeeping profession now faces difficulties, including the summer's high temperatures, the spread of diseases, and the drought that hits the country due to the climate crisis.
 
The farmers are struggling to save their hives because there is not enough water and therefore not enough flowering plants to keep the bees satisfied, according to Ali Lafta, 50, a farmer in Salahudin province.
 
Despite difficulties, Lafta succeeded in producing big amounts of honey, and he is proud of the quality of his honey, saying "One teaspoon of honey every day guarantees a healthy life."
 
Dr. Ghaleb al-Jubouri, director of the animal health clinic in the Dhuluiyah area, some 80 km north of Baghdad, told Xinhua that bee hives are exposed to harsh conditions, especially in the summer, which leads to an increase in many diseases that hit the bees.
 
Nevertheless, he said the beekeepers are keen to give success to the profession of beekeeping, which can be traced back thousands of years to the Sumerian era, as evidenced by inscriptions on clay tablets with recipes for using honey to treat skin infections.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Baghdad.
(XHTV)