evaluation of the economical aspects of polish beekeeping

Vol. 54 No. 2 2010
Journal of Apicultural Science
5
EVALUATION OF THE ECONOMICAL ASPECTS
OF POLISH BEEKEEPING
Piotr Semkiw, Piotr Skubida
Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture,
Apiculture Division
Kazimierska 2, 24-100 Puławy, Poland
e-mail: [email protected]
Received 12 April 2010; Accepted 08 November 2010
S u m m a r y
The purpose of this research was to evaluate the beekeeping sector in Poland. The research was
done in the Apiculture Division of the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture in Pulawy,
Poland. The research material was obtained from a variety of sources: the Veterinary Inspectorate,
the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and also the authors'
own studies and analyses. At the end of October 2009, 1 122 396 honeybee colonies were present
in Poland. The average number of colonies per square kilometre was 3.68 and there were 44951
beekeepers. The majority of the beekeepers were middle aged or older. Beekeepers over 50 comprised
60.7% of the total number. Beekeepers between 35 and 50 years old were 29.5%, while the youngest
group, under 35, were only 9.8%. In recent years, there has been a fall in honey production resulting
from unfavourable changes in regional climatic conditions, altered land management and cases of
mass die-offs of honeybee colonies in apiaries. In 2008, honey production was about 18 thousand
tonnes. In the season of 2009, only 14 thousand tonnes of honey were produced. It was the poorest
in Polish honey production in the last few years. The proportion of prices to costs of production was
still unfavourable. Poor financial results of apiaries, resulting from this discrepancy, posed a serious
barrier to the development of Polish beekeeping.
Keywords: economy, beekeeping, sector condition, Poland.
INTRODUCTION
Beekeeping is an important area of
economic activity in Poland. On the one
hand, it supplies honeybee products,
valued for their nutritional and health
promoting properties. On the other hand,
it impacts biodiversity of the natural
environment and ensures appropriate
harvests of entomophilous plants (Wilde
and Cichoń, 1999). Estimated yearly
gains from pollinating rape fields alone,
exceed 600 million Polish zloty (PLN); in
fruit growing the gains are much higher
than 3 billion PLN (Semkiw et al., 2010).
Therefore, beekeeping may be considered
a key factor for optimising fruit production
(Pidek, 1992).
The number of honeybee colonies in
Poland is a direct measurement of the
apiculture condition. These colony numbers
have changed significantly over the past
several years (Pidek, 1987, 1997, 1991,
2000a; Pidek and Pohorecka, 2004;
Madras-Majewska and Majewski,
2006; Semkiw et al., 2007a). Economical
factors, such as high production costs, low
sale prices and technological problems in
apiaries had a marked influence on this
change. Although, for a number of reasons,
beekeeping statistics may have been
inacurate (Pidek, 1987, 2000a).
Shifts in the number of honeybee
colonies had a direct relationship to the
changes in the number of apiaries in
Poland (Pidek, 1997, 2000a; Pidek
and Pohorecka, 2004; Semkiw et al.,
2007a). Some changes occurred also in the
size structure of apiaries (Pidek, 2000a;
Madras-Majewska and Majewski,
2006; Semkiw et al. 2007a; Pidek, 1987;
Pidek and Pohorecka, 2004).
6
Over the years, shifting honeybee colony
numbers directly influenced the level of
Polish honey production (Pidek, 1991),
the production size was also limited by
unfavourable weather conditions (Pidek
and Pohorecka, 2004; MadrasMajewska and Majewski, 2006;
Semkiw et al., 2007a).
Because of seasonal output fluctuations
resulting in insufficient amounts of honey
on the market, Poland imports honey,
similarly to other European countries.
Exporting honey was not as significant as
importing honey (Pidek, 2000b; Pidek
and Pohorecka, 2004; Semkiw et al.,
2007b).
An important factor determining
perspectives of the sector development
is the age distribution of beekeepers
(Nogal, 1999; Madras-Majewska and
Majewski, 2006; Semkiw et al., 2007a).
Production costs, and selling prices of
honeybee products play a fundamental
role in the economy of the beekeeping
sector. In a balanced economy, the price
of honey reflects production costs and
should be higher than the production price
by about 30% per kilo (Pidek, 1997). In
the market economy, the product price
is a marketing component and it is set
accordingly to the marketing goals of the
company (Kotle r, 1997). Wholesale
and retail prices are enlarged by the trade
and retail profit margins. If the selling is
done directly by the producers, they seize
both margins and enlarge the price by
their profit (Pidek, 2000b). In Poland,
bulk purchasing of honey constitutes
about 40% of honey production, a small
amount (about 1%) is used by industry
and the remaining part is sold directly
by the producers. For many years now, a
very characteristic trend where the retail
prices of honey have been comparatively
very high in relation to wholesale prices,
has been taking place, with a proportion of
2:1 or even 3:1. The honey prices in direct
sales are usually lower than retail prices.
Another rule is that, regardless of the
sales channel, the most expensive honeys
are heather and honeydew varieties, with
rape and multiflorous honeys being the
cheapest (Pidek, 1999; Pidek, 2000b;
Madras-Majewska and Majewski,
2006; Semkiw et al., 2007b).
In beekeeping, the fixed costs
(irrespective of the production size)
are as follows: depreciation of hives,
buildings and equipment, as well as
the costs of grounds rentals and loan
interests. The variable costs (related to
production size) include: expenditure on
sugar, foundations, medicines, electricity,
labour and transportation (Pidek, 1998).
Exact portrayal of the costs requires that
the apiary be analysed in regards to the
production scale (Pidek, 1983).
The purpose of this research was to
evaluate the beekeeping sector in Poland,
with particular attention paid to: the
numbers of beekeepers and honeybee
colonies, the age distribution of the
producers, the density of honeybee colony
populations, the apiary size structure, the
scale of honey production, its prices, the
production costs and international honey
trade.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The research was done in the years
2008 and 2009 at the Research Institute
of Pomology and Floriculture, Apiculture
Division, Puławy, Poland. The research
materials originated from a variety of
sources: the Veterinary Inspectorate,
the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development,
and also the authors' own studies and
analyses. The data concerning the numbers
of honeybee colonies, beekeepers,
and the density of honeybee colony
populations, apiary size structure, and
the honey production costs are presented
for the year 2009 only. The remaining
data encompassing the beekeepers age
distribution, the scale of honey production,
honey prices and the international trade are
given for both years of research.
The number of honeybee colonies, the
density of honeybee colony populations,
and apiary size structure were qualified
based on registers kept by the District
Vol. 54 No. 2 2010
Journal of Apicultural Science
Veterinary Officers. According to The
Animal Health Protection and Contagious
Diseases Control Act from 11 March 2004
(Dz. U. 2004 No 69 pos. 625 with later
changes), setting up an apiary constitutes
the commencement of a controlled activity
and every beekeeper is obliged by the law
to inform the District Veterinary Officer
of this fact in writing, 30 days before the
planned commencement.
The District Veterinary Officer, having
carried off an inspection, issues an
appropriate decision. If the decision is
positive, a veterinary ID number is given
to the apiary, and the apiary is entered
into the register. If the apiary ceases the
controlled activity (closing down the
apiary) or changes take place in its legal
or factual status, the beekeeper is obliged
to inform the District Veterinary Officer of
the changes within 7 days, in writing.
The data concerning the distribution of
age of beekeepers, and the scale of honey
production in Poland were collected from
the statistics of The Polish Beekeeping
Association.
The data about honey prices in
intermediary purchasing points was
collected from the 10 largest Polish honey
traders. The data regarding retail honey
prices are from 10 superstores existing in
Puławy and mostly belonging to corporate
chains present all around Poland. The data
concerning direct honey sales by producers
was collected by telephone survey, from 50
beekeepers around the country.
Calculated production costs were
estimated per one honeybee colony, for
two types of apiary enterprises: small
scale and commercial. Depreciation was
calculated at 300 PLN for the value of a
complete, new hive. The equipment value
with a depreciation of 10% was calculated
at 5000 PLN, for the small scale apiaries
and twice as much for the commercial ones.
The costs of grounds rental was assumed at
5 PLN per honeybee colony. The costs of
sugar were set at the same level for all types
of apiaries, as they result from a yearly
usage and unit price (15 kg x 2.7 PLN).
The usage of foundation in the small scale
7
apiaries was quantified at 0.25 kg, and
0.3 kg in the commercial ones; the price
of 1 kg of foundation was 30 PLN. It
was also assumed that in the commercial
establishments hives are requeened every
two years whereas in the small scale
ones - every three years. The price of one
queen bee, instrumentally or naturally
inseminated, was set at 40 PLN. The costs
of fuel used in commuting to apiaries, and
transporting hives to forage sites in the
commercial apiaries, are higher (40 PLN
per honeybee colony) than in the small scale
outfits. For small-scalers, transportation
costs include only commuting (10 PLN
per colony). Energy usage was assumed
at 15 kWh per colony in the small scale
apiaries and 30 kWh in the commercial
ones. The cost of 1 kWh was set at 0.60
PLN. The costs of labour were estimated in
labour hours (lh) per honeybee colony and
the cost of 1h was estimated at 10 PLN.
In the small scale apiaries, the number
of labour hours required per 1 honeybee
colony was 10 and in the commercial
apiaries, it was 8.
The data concerning honey in the
international trade was processed based on
information obtained from the Ministry of
Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development.
RESULTS
At the end of October 2009, 1 122 396
honeybee colonies were present in Poland.
(Tab. 1). The highest numbers were in
the following Voivodships: Lubelskie,
Podkarpackie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie and
Małopolskie (40.3% of the total number)
and the lowest in Podlaskie, Opolskie
and Lubuskie (9.2%). There were 44 951
beekeepers. The average size of a Polish
apiary was 25 honeybee colonies. The
average number of bee colonies per square
kilometre (km2) in the country was 3.68. In
Małopolskie, this number was nearly 7/km2
and in Podkarpackie over 6. In Pomorskie
and Mazowieckie the density was lower 2.38/km2 and 2.36/km2 respectively, and it
was the lowest in Podlaskie - 1.5/km2.
8
Table 1
The data characteristic for Polish beekeeping in 2009
Honeybee
colonies
Number
%
Number
%
Apiary size
(honeybee
colonies)
Lubelskie
129 518
11.5
4 930
11.0
26.3
5.16
Podkarpackie
110 461
9.8
4 272
9.5
25.9
6.19
Voivodship
Beekeepers
Density of bee
colonies / km2
Warmińsko - Mazurskie
106 623
9.5
2 361
5.3
45.2
4.41
Małopolskie
106 199
9.5
5 356
11.9
19.8
6.99
Wielkopolskie
95 963
8.5
3 769
8.4
25.5
3.22
Dolnośląskie
84 714
7.5
3 400
7.6
24.9
4.25
Mazowieckie
84 060
7.5
3 671
8.2
22.9
2.36
Zachodniopomorskie
62 407
5.6
1 909
4.2
32.7
2.73
Kujawsko - Pomorskie
57 050
5.1
2 074
4.6
27.5
3.17
Świętokrzyskie
48 312
4.3
1 650
3.7
29.3
4.13
Łódzkie
47 359
4.2
2 433
5.4
19.5
2.60
Śląskie
43 599
3.9
3 669
8.2
11.9
3.53
Pomorskie
43 538
3.9
1 380
3.1
31.6
2.38
Lubuskie
41 422
3.7
1 555
3.5
26.6
2.96
Opolskie
30 891
2.8
1 367
3.0
22.6
3.28
Podlaskie
Total or average
30 280
2.7
1 155
2.6
26.2
1.50
1 122 396
100
44 951
100
25.0
3.68
Structure of apiaries
Small and medium apiaries in Poland
are not subject to compulsory registration
as they are considered a special section
of agricultural activity The percentage
of small and medium apiaries, with up
to 80 honeybee colonies, was 97.43%.
The remaining apiaries with more than
80 colonies comprised only 2.58%,
although they owned 151 150 honeybee
colonies, which was 13.47% of the total
number in Poland (Fig. 1).
There were 237 professional beekeepers
(owning over 150 honeybee colonies) they
constituted 0.53% of the total number
of beekeepers (Tab. 2). The professional
beekeepers jointly owned 59 754
honeybee colonies - 5.32% of the total;
the average apiary size in this category
was 252 colonies. The highest numbers
of professional apiaries were founded in
Warmińsko - Mazurskie and Lubelskie
Voivodships; Śląskie had the lowest
number. The apiaries of the largest average
size were situated in Lubuskie Voivodship.
The age of beekeepers
The majority of beekeepers were middle
aged or older. According to the Polish
Beekeeping
Association,
beekeepers
over 50 comprised 60.7% of the total
number. Most of them usually run small
scale apiaries owned by the family for
generations; the sizes and modes of
operation of the apiaries corresponded
to their owners' ages and abilities. The
beekeepers between 35 and 50 years old
were 29.5% of the total. The youngest
beekeepers were those under 35, and they
were only 9.8% of the total number.
Honey production
The honey production in 2008 was about
18 thousand tonnes. An average yield
from a honeybee colony in the commercial
apiaries was 26 kg, in the small scale ones
it was about 15 kg. The season of 2009,
was the worst for Polish honey production,
Vol. 54 No. 2 2010
Journal of Apicultural Science
9
Fig. 1. Structure of apiary sizes in Poland
Table 2
Professional beekeeping in Poland
Number of
professional
beekeepers
Number of
honeybee
colonies in
professional
apiaries
Average
apiary size
Warmińsko - Mazurskie
42
10 762
256.2
Lubelskie
29
7 057
243.3
Wielkopolskie
23
5 574
242.3
Małopolskie
17
5 230
307.6
Pomorskie
14
4 880
348.6
Podkarpackie
20
4 325
216.3
Mazowieckie
15
3 589
239.3
Lubuskie
7
3 260
465.7
Zachodniopomorskie
14
2 970
212.1
Dolnośląskie
13
2 516
193.5
Kujawsko – Pomorskie
10
2 365
236.5
Świętokrzyskie
9
2 250
250.0
Opolskie
7
1 780
254.3
Voivodship
Łódzkie
7
1 426
203.7
Podlaskie
7
1 230
175.7
3
540
180.0
237
59 754
252.1
Śląskie
Total or average
in the analysed period. Only 14 thousand
tonnes of honey were produced. False
acacia and buckwheat honey yields
were the most affected and only in some
regions lime honey crops were satisfactory
(Warmia, Mazury and Lubelskie regions).
The coniferous honeydew honey variety
was obtained in very limited amounts in
Podkarpacie only. Climatic conditions
allowed for the collection of larger amounts
of heather honey.
10
Honey prices
The majority (60%) of honey produced
was sold directly by the producer to the
consumer, omitting intermediaries. The
remaining production went straight to
retailers and specialised processing and
trading businesses. The average honey
price in direct sales in 2009, was 21.7 PLN
per kilo (Tab. 3). Rape and multiflorous
honey prices were about 16-17 PLN
per kilo. False acacia, lime, deciduous
honeydew and buckwheat honeys were
20 PLN per kilo or slightly more. The
most expensive honeys of coniferous
honeydew and heather varieties were
26.9 and 30 PLN per kilo, respectively.
Table 6 presents average prices of the
most popular honeys at intermediary
purchasing points in 2008 and 2009. The
prices offered to the beekeepers were more
than two times lower the prices of direct
sales or the ones in retail. Traditionally,
the honey varieties which were cheapest
at the intermediary purchasing points were
rape and multiflorous (8.8 and 9.1 PLN per
kilo, respectively). The most expensive
were coniferous honeydew and heather at
21.4 and 25.6 PLN per kilo. The remaining
honey prices oscillated around 12 PLN per
kilo.
International honey trade
The Polish international trade of honey
did not changed much in the last couple of
years (2008 - 2009). The import of honey
largely exceeded the export (Tab. 4). The
2008 deficit in the foreign honey trade
was about € 8 mln, in 2009 it increased to
€ 11.5 mln.
The largest export of honey was to the
EU countries, especially to Germany, the
Czech Republic, Denmark and France.
Significant amounts of honey have also
been sold to the USA. Export of honey
in 2008 was over 729 tonnes and in 2009
it reached the record level of over 1300
tonnes. Import of honey, with the largest
amounts arriving from China and the
Ukraine, increased as well. In 2008 almost
6 000 tonnes were imported and in 2009
-almost 7.3 thousand tonnes. The value of
1 tonne of imported honey in 2009 was
on average € 2 000. The cheapest honeys
were bought in China (€ 1.2-1.3 thousand
per tonne) and in the Ukraine (€ 1.6-1.8
thousand per tonne).
Costs of honey production
The total costs of commercial apiaries,
calculated per one honeybee colony, were
57.5 PLN higher than the costs of small
scale apiaries (Tab. 5). The commercial
apiaries generate additional fixed costs
Average honey prices (PLN/kilo) at intermediary purchasing points,
in direct sales and in retail, in 2008 and 2009
Honey variety
Intermediary
purchasing points
Direct sales
Table 3
Retail
2008
2009
2008
2009
2008
2009
Multiflorous
7.0
9.1
14.0
17.7
19.9
22.0
Rape
6.5
8.8
13.5
16.4
17.8
21.9
Acacia
9.0
11.5
16.9
19.8
21.5
26.8
Lime
10.0
11.9
17.7
20.1
22.6
29.5
Buckwheat
10.0
11.7
1.2
22.6
23.0
27.8
Heather
20.0
25.6
29.0
30.0
45.7
51.3
Coniferous honeydew
12.0
21.4
21.0
26.9
34.1
37.5
Deciduous honeydew
10.0
12.9
20.1
20.5
-
25.9
Average
10.5
14.1
16.7
21.7
26.4
30.3
Vol. 54 No. 2 2010
Journal of Apicultural Science
11
Table 4
International honey trade
(the EU and remaining countries)
Year/
period
Export
Import
Balance (export- import)
Volume
(tonnes)
Value in
thousands €
Volume
(tonnes)
Value in
thousands €
Value in
thousands €
2008
729.27
2 160.31
5 594.59
10 974.00
-8 813.69
2009
1 307.00
3 175.81
7 293.00
14 700.93
-11 525.12
Table 5
Production costs calculated per 1 honeybee colony
in PLN (prices from 2009)
Type of apiary
Costs variety
Fixed costs
Small scale
Commercial
Depreciation of hives
30.0
30.0
Depreciation of equipment
6.0
12.5
Depreciation of buildings
–
15.0
Grounds rental
–
4.0
Total fixed
36.0
61.5
Sugar
40.5
40.5
Foundation
7.5
9.0
Queen bees
13.5
20.0
Medicinees
10.0
10.0
Transport
10.0
40.0
Variable costs
Electricity
9.0
18.0
Labour
100.0
80.0
Materials
5.0
10.0
Total variable
195.5
227.5
231.5
289
Total costs
Table 6
Financial results for small scale and commercial apiaries
in relation to the level of honey production
Items
Small
Commercial
10 kg
20 kg
20 kg
30 kg
A. Production value (14.1 PLN / kg)
141.0
282.0
282.0
423.0
B. Variable costs
195.5
195.5
227.5
227.5
0.0
0.0
4.0
4.0
C. Fixed costs (without depreciation)
D. Depreciation
36.0
36.0
57.5
57.5
E. Direct income (A-B)
-54.5
86.5
54.5
195.5
F. Gross income (E-C)
-54.5
86.5
50.5
191.5
G. Net income (F-D)
-90.5
50.5
-7.0
134.0
12
(depreciation of apiary buildings and
ground rentals), some variable costs were
also higher (foundation, queen bees,
transport, electricity, materials). Estimates
were made of net incomes in different
types of apiaries and varied levels of honey
production. The results showed that small
scale apiaries had a honey production of
approx. 10 kg from one honeybee colony,
with the average price of 14.1 PLN per kilo
of honey. These figures were much below
the level of profitability (Tab. 6). A net
income of 50.5 PLN per honeybee colony
was ensured by the production of 20 kg of
honey. This production size was still below
profitability level for the commercial
apiaries, where the satisfactory net income
(134 PLN per honeybee colony) could be
obtained with a production level of about
30 kg of honey per colony.
DISCUSSION
The number of honeybee colonies in
the presented studies (2009) was higher
by 2.71% than in 2006 (Semkiw et al.,
2007a). Losses incurred after the winter
of 2007/2008, were estimated by the
Voivodship and regional beekeeping
associations to be at 30% or 300 000
honeybee colonies (Topolska et al.,
2010). This rise in honeybee colonies
suggests that despite large losses, apiaries
in Poland were restored to their former
shape. The number of honeybee colonies
described in this research is much higher
than the number presented by Pidek
and Pohorecka (2004) and MadrasMajewska and Majewski (2006), but
it does not signify a momentous increase
of honeybee colony numbers in Poland.
Instead, the higher number is the result of
our using a different set of data, obtained
from the Veterinary Inspectorate. The
abovementioned authors worked on the data
from The Polish Beekeepers Association
statistic. The Association’s statistics did
not fully reflect the factual shape of the
sector, as they were mainly concerned with
members of the Association; the data on the
unassociated beekeepers in the statistics
were given as an estimate. Therefore it
needs to be stated, that using the data from
the District Veterinary Officers' registers
allows for a much more realistic picture of
the condition of Polish beekeeping.
The average number of honeybee colonies
per square kilometre in the country was
higher than in the the EU, as determined by
Pidek and Pohorecka (2004). In the EU,
the number is 2.9 honeybee colonies per
square kilometre. The density of honeybee
colonies in Poland is uneven and results
mainly from varied climatic conditions and
agricultural status of the areas concerned;
these in turn determine profitability of
apiary production. The inconsistency
of honeybee colony populations also
stems from local beekeeping traditions.
In different locations, the traditions are
cultivated to a larger or lesser extent.
This state is very disadvantageous from
the point of view of crop pollination in
orchardry and agriculture.
The results of the 2002 Census of
Agriculture, carried out by the Central
Statistical Office, showed 60.7% of
honeybee colonies to be owned by
beekeeper/farm owners (Powszechny spis
rolny, 2002). The remaining 39.3% of
honeybee colonies were in possession of
beekeepers whose professional background
was unrelated to farming. Based on the
registers of the District Veterinary Officers
from the period analysed here, the number
of apiaries was 44 951. In relation to the
data from 2006 (Semkiw et al., 2007a),
this means that the number of registered
apiaries in Poland rose by 5541, which is
a 12.3% rise in the number of beekeepers.
Undoubtedly, one of the factors for this
increase is the National Beekeeping
Support Program introduced in 2004. One
of the conditions of obtaining support was
having a veterinary identification number
or registering with the District Veterinary
Officer.
In our studies, the average size of a
Polish apiary was 25 honeybee colonies,
where in other EU countries it was 17.9
(Pid ek and Pohorecka, 2004). This
fragmentation, very typical for Poland, is
an obstacle to the increase of production
Vol. 54 No. 2 2010
Journal of Apicultural Science
profitability and earning power of apiaries.
Low income levels mainly result from the
small scale of production. Another factor is
that all the elements occur simultaneously
which amplifies their negative influence.
According to the the EU definition, a
professional beekeeper is one who owns
over 150 honeybee colonies. In Poland
this requirement was satisfied by only
237 persons (0.53% of the total number
of beekeepers). Therefore, the proportion
of professional beekeepers in Poland was
very small, far smaller than in countries
like Spain or Greece, where the share of
professional apiaries was respectively:
20% and 15% (Podstawka, 2008).
The age distribution of Polish beekeepers
had not changed significantly over the
past 10 years (Madras-Majewska and
Majewski, 2006; Semkiw et al., 2007a).
This does not bode well for the future of
Polish beekeeping. It is a well known
fact, that the basis of development of any
enterprise is an appropriate resource of
young, ambitious and qualified workers.
Although every year, a number of students
graduate from the Apiculture College
in Pszczela Wola and from several
Polish universities, lack of professional
perspectives and low profitability of
beekeeping cause young people to
disregard beekeeping as a career prospect.
Honey production is the key factor
determining the shape of the apiculture
sector. Other bee products, such as
beeswax, propolis or honeybee pollen are
only accessory to the honey production.
Unfortunately, in the recent years a fall
in honey production has been observed.
This production drop is the result of
regional unfavourable changes in climatic
conditions, altered land management and
cases of mass die-offs of honeybee colonies
in apiaries. The honey production in 2009
was comparable to the similarly unfruitful
year of 1991 (Madras-Majewska and
Majewski, 2006).
The trends observed in domestic selling
of honey were similar to those in other
EU countries. Trading methods included
selling from the home, the local market or
13
other locations. Such methods are of high
importance to the economy of apiaries - it
allows for selling at prices approaching
retail prices. In turn, production costs are
covered and profits generated. Honey
distributed this way is widely thought by
the consumers to be of better quality, in
comparison with honey acquired from
other sources. Throughout the years,
every apiary builds up its own customer
base, which coupled with high quality of
the produce, results in the relative ease of
sales. These observations are in agreement
with earlier reports (Pidek, 2000b, 2002).
In 2009 there was, on average, a 27%
increase in honey prices compared to the
prices from 2006 (Semkiw et al., 2007b).
In the recent years, the large import has
been posing a real threat to the domestic
honey production and has determined
prices. In 2009, the purchasing of foreign
honey closed the gap left by the insufficient
domestic honey supply. In comparison
with the 1990s (Pidek, 2000b) the honey
import quadrupled. Today, according to the
data presented by Pidek and Pohorecka
(2004), the import is three times as large. It
is of interest, that over a period of 20 years,
the prices paid by the importers on world
markets have not changed significantly.
Profitability of apiary production is mainly
circumscribed by costs of production. The
Value Added Tax, introduced in 2004,
weighs heavily on the costs. The majority
of beekeepers are subject to a flat rate VAT
refund. As a result, they do not recover
full amounts of the VAT paid in goods
and services. Respectively to the kind of
purchases made, the VAT rates vary as
follows: 22% on energy carriers, means
of production, machines and appliances
(hives, equipment, foundation); 7% on
sugar and veterinary services; 3% on
honeybee colonies and queens (Ustawa
o podatku od towarów i usług z dnia 11.
marca 2004 z późn. zm.). The tendency
towards high costs of commercial apiaries
calculated per one honeybee is similar with
the calculations made over 30 years ago
(Pidek, 1983).
14
CONCLUSIONS
1. In recent years, the number of
honeybee colonies in Poland has been
relatively constant despite growing
numbers of registered apiaries. Large
die- offs of overwintering honeybee
colonies, limit the growth of the honeybee
colony populations.
2. The age distribution of beekeepers
is unsatisfactory, with the percentage of
young beekeepers at a very low level.
3. An increase in honey sale prices was
the answer to falling production, but the
proportion of prices to costs of production
is still unfavourable. Poor financial results
of apiaries, resulting from this discrepancy,
pose a serious barrier to the development
of Polish beekeeping. Other inhibiting
factors are heavy fragmentation of apiaries
and their small production scale.
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OCENA ASPEKTÓW EKONOMICZNYCH
POLSKIEGO PSZCZELARSTWA
Semkiw P., Skubida P.
S t r e s z c z e n i e
Celem badań była ocena sektora pszczelarskiego w Polsce. Badania przeprowadzono w latach
2008-2009 w Oddziale Pszczelnictwa Instytutu Sadownictwa i Kwiaciarstwa w Puławach. Materiał
do badań stanowiły dane pochodzące z różnych źródeł: Inspekcji Weterynaryjnej, Ministerstwa
Finansów, Ministerstwa Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi, Polskiego Związku Pszczelarskiego, a także
własnych opracowań i analiz autorów.
Na koniec października 2009, było w Polsce 1 122 396 rodzin pszczelich. Najwięcej rodzin
pszczelich znajdowało się w województwach: lubelskim, podkarpackim, warmińsko-mazurskim
i małopolskim, a najmniej w podlaskim, opolskim i lubuskim. Średnie „napszczelenie” w kraju tj.
liczba rodzin przypadających na km2 wynosiła 3,68. W kraju było 44 951 pszczelarzy. Większość
z nich to osoby w wieku średnim i starsi. Pszczelarze, którzy przekroczyli 50 rok życia stanowili
60,7%. Młodsi w przedziale wiekowym 35-50 lat stanowili 29,5% ogółu, a najmłodsi poniżej
35 roku życia - jedynie 9,8%. W ostatnich latach w kraju zmniejszyła się łączna produkcja miodu,
spowodowana m.in. regionalnie niekorzystnymi warunkami klimatyczno - pożytkowymi i licznymi
przypadkami masowego ginięcia rodzin pszczelich w pasiekach. W 2008 roku produkcja miodu
wyniosła ok. 18 tys. ton. W sezonie 2009 wyprodukowano w krajowych pasiekach najmniejszą ilość
miodu w ostatnich latach. Szacowana produkcja to tylko 14 tys. ton. Stosunek cen do ponoszonych
kosztów produkcji jest niekorzystny. Słabe wyniki ekonomiczne pasiek stanowią istotną barierę dla
rozwoju pszczelarstwa w kraju.
Słowa kluczowe: ekonomika, pszczelarstwo, stan sektora, Polska.