When Andy Paul first attended a beginner\u2019s course in Commercial Beekeeping organised by the Ministry of Agriculture\u00a0 in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Corporation on\u00a0 Agriculture (IICA), in 2002, he had no idea that would be the start to his career in beekeeping. Paul, thirty- nine ( 39), explained\u00a0 that this training\u00a0 encouraged him to\u00a0 start his own venture, the first formal training he received, as back then, he was only experienced in harvesting bees in the wild.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat course did something for me; I was looking for a venture that I could mark as my own. I really liked it and I also got my first\u00a0 hive as part of the training,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After becoming a full-time farmer in 2004, today,\u00a0 after nearly 18 years, he has over 200 hives and produces honey, beeswax, bee pollen and often sells bees to other farmers.<\/p>\n
One reason he identified as to why he grew a love for this type of\u00a0 initiative is because he knew of the importance and viability of the industry.<\/p>\n
Besides managing his farm,\u00a0 Andy is\u00a0 helping mold young minds and educating young Beekeepers. He said, \u201cI am hoping that we can raise a new breed of Beekeepers that would appreciate being part of a sector where they can learn to appreciate bees and use their\u00a0 skills to assist other Beekeepers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explained that\u00a0 he is sharing knowledge from\u00a0 trainings\u00a0 attended \u00a0regionally and locally to these young farmers.\u201d I have taught several courses in Beekeeping and this one here, I am working along with the Adult and Teen Challenge Grenada, sharing my skills and talents with the young persons, so they can obtain\u00a0 a Level II CVQ in the field,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
He sees the training as a start for\u00a0 young persons to go into their own ventures. Additionally, one of his goals is to use the students from the course to form an organisation\u00a0 that can serve as an educational institution for others interested in Apiculture.<\/p>\n
While admitting that managing his farm full-time, along with teaching beekeeping, is a challenge he says allowing his past students to share their knowledge and skills have helped.<\/p>\n
Paul encourages persons, especially farmers to be mindful of some of their practices, which may impact the bee population. \u201c\u2026if we reduce some\u00a0 of the toxic chemicals that we use or even emissions from factories, along with education on the importance of bees, I think we will learn to value it more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andy aspires to develop his business venture, to satisfy his current market demands, along with increasing production with the aim of exporting products to other countries. He also wants to\u00a0 continue assisting and educating young Beekeepers, as he believes they can make good livelihoods from the sector .<\/p>\n
Things to note about Andy:<\/p>\n
If you are interested in learning about Apiculture or purchasing his honey and other products give him a call on (473) 459-3322.<\/p>\n