Liquid gold, naturally sweet. A great expression to describe honey. Honey can be produced under two different methods: apiculture (when bees are raised in captivity) or bee picking (when bees are raised in the middle of the nature).
Whilst Madagascar was one of the world’s leading exporters of honey in the 30s –a volume of 30,000 tons that time – thanks to the generous existing vegetation, the loss of entire forests and lack of technical sophistication have made organic quality honey increasingly rare to find and over time, impossible to export (EU embargo from 1996 to 2011).With the intervention of NGOs and companies, the production regained in quality and quantity. In2018, according to Fidy Andriamamonjy Harijaona from Apimadagascar ,30 percent of beekeepers practiced modern beekeeping (hive with frames or bars), while 70 percent practice traditional techniques including bee picking.

What are the best honeys in Madagascar and where do we find them?

This is a rather subjective question when speaking of taste. Nevertheless, Niaouli honey (a tree that also provides one of the finest essential oils), litchi honey, and pink berry honey stand out for Madagascar. The trees are found naturally in rainforests or planted in the South East side of the Island, in the Fitovinany region. The CITE Madagascar identifies the main production areas, including the highlands (Manjakandriana, south axis of Ambositra Fianarantsoa), the East coast (from Maroantsetra to Taolagnaro) and the North-West region (BefandrianaAvaratra, Antsohihy, Mahajanga, Morondava).
Honey is exported to Europe– Belgium and France getting the largest supplies. That not only has a positive impact on trade with those partners but also encourages fairtrade and social development within the producers’ communities.

Item1 :Evolution of honey exports by value (source : ITC Trade Map 2020)

                                                                                        Unit : US Dollar thousand

Item 2: Madagascar’s honey importing countries (source : ITC Trade Map 2020)

                                                                                             Unit : US Dollar thousand