Tonglu Honey

Tonglu Honey

　　Tonglu County is the largest bee product production base in China, with an annual production and sales value exceeding 300 million yuan. It exports 800 tons of royal jelly annually, accounting for 40% of the national total, 200 tons of propolis, also 40% of the national total, and 900 tons of beeswax, representing 28% of the national total, and these figures continue to grow at a rate of over 30% per year.

　　Tonglu County is one of the four major beekeeping bases in Zhejiang Province, with a high degree of industrialization in production, processing, and sales. The county has a total of 70,000 bee colonies, over 500 large-scale breeders with more than 50 hives each, and 7 bee product processing enterprises. Among them, one enterprise has an annual output value exceeding 100 million yuan. Its “Naique Brand Bee Language” series enjoys high visibility and holds a significant share in the health products market. In 2002, the county’s total production, processing, and sales of bee products reached 260 million yuan, including over 600 tons of royal jelly exported annually, accounting for 33% of the national production. It is estimated that in 2003, the total production, processing, and sales of bee products will exceed 300 million yuan.

　　To address the EU's green barriers, Tonglu County actively sought countermeasures. The County Bee Industry Association took the initiative to undertake the “Demonstration Project for the Promotion and Implementation of Standardized Bee Product Production,” accelerating the development of a standardized beekeeping system. A preliminary four-tier management system has been established—government–association–apiary–beekeeper—and a standardized implementation model of “association + large company (cooperative) + beekeeper” has been formed, along with a standardized production system covering bee species, breeding management, and processed products. Currently, over 80% of beekeepers are integrated into the standardized production system, with 12 standardized production demonstration bases established. By strengthening oversight of agricultural inputs and traceability throughout the production process, comprehensive monitoring of bee products from source to processing has been enhanced, leading to significant improvements in product quality and safety. This has promoted the development of contract beekeeping and driven an overall improvement in the organizational level of Tonglu’s bee industry.