Lahore: Pakistan’s drive to restore its forests is delivering an unexpected economic dividend: a booming honey industry.
As millions of newly-planted trees mature across the country, they are creating rich feeding grounds for honeybees, boosting honey production, supporting thousands of rural livelihoods and reinforcing efforts to protect biodiversity and combat climate change.
Blessed with diverse ecosystems and year-round flowering seasons, Pakistan produces some of the world’s finest natural honeys. Among the most sought-after is premium Sidr (Beri) honey, harvested from the forests and semi-arid landscapes of Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Celebrated for its rich caramel-like flavour, medicinal qualities and antibacterial properties, Sidr honey has earned a strong reputation in international markets.
Experts say recent afforestation campaigns are transforming the country’s apiculture sector by expanding the habitat of nectar-rich trees. Plantation of bee-friendly species – including Kaho, Ber (Sidr), Phulai and Kikar (Acacia) – is improving forage for honeybees, increasing honey yields and simultaneously helping restore degraded ecosystems, creating a rare win-win for both the environment and the rural economy.
A report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) highlighted that Pakistan’s reforestation efforts have generated an unexpected economic benefit by increasing honey production as newly planted forests matured. In the Changa Manga forest alone, about 3.5 million trees were planted over 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares), creating improved habitats for bees and resulting in substantially higher honey yields for local beekeepers.
According to the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), beekeeping has become an increasingly profitable enterprise. Around 7,000 commercial beekeepers across the country rear the imported honeybee species ‘Apis mellifera’ using modern beekeeping techniques. Earlier PARC estimates indicated about 300,000 managed bee colonies producing nearly 7,500 metric tonnes of honey annually, although industry experts believe production capacity can increase significantly with improved forest cover and better management.
PARC scientists say Pakistan possesses exceptional natural advantages for apiculture due to its diverse ecological zones and prolonged flowering seasons. Honeybee flora is found across Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other regions, including Mianwali, Chakwal, Jhelum, Attock and Mansehra.
Dr Abdul Waheed, an orchard scientist at PARC, said the country’s favourable climate provides excellent opportunities to expand commercial beekeeping, while plantation of bee-friendly trees would improve nectar availability and create sustainable income opportunities for rural communities.
Officials have projected that large-scale plantation of bee flora, coupled with modern apiculture practices, could substantially increase national honey production, generate thousands of green jobs and contribute billions of rupees to the economy. These figures, however, remain long-term targets dependent on sustained implementation of plantation, conservation and market development programmes.
Rashid Mehmood, Director at PARC’s Honeybee Research Institute, said trees planted during recent afforestation campaigns have now matured and are providing improved forage for honeybee populations, contributing to increased honey production.
He noted that Pakistan is home to four recognised honeybee species. Three are indigenous, Apis cerana, Apis dorsata and Apis florea – while Apis mellifera, an introduced species, has become well established and is widely used in commercial beekeeping.
Despite the positive outlook, experts caution that climate change continues to pose serious challenges. Unseasonal rainfall, prolonged droughts and shifting flowering patterns have affected nectar availability in recent years, reducing honey yields in several regions. They stress that expanding forest cover, conserving native bee flora and reducing indiscriminate pesticide use are essential for sustaining long-term growth of the sector.
Environmental experts also note that Pakistan’s forest cover remains considerably below the global average. Continued investment in afforestation and ecosystem restoration is expected not only to enhance biodiversity and groundwater recharge but also to strengthen pollination services, agricultural productivity and honey exports.
Pakistan’s 12 distinct climatic zones enable production of a wide range of monofloral and multifloral honeys, giving the country significant potential to expand its presence in premium international honey markets through improved quality certification, branding and value addition.