Entering the industy...
- Thread starter Anaru
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The other thing the govt did wrong was to set those markers & levels. They disqualified the highest UMF honey i.e. Northland's.
If the govt did what Winston Peters (among others) wanted they would have said that UMF honey = Manuka, which makes sense to the market and provides official support to the strongest advocate for MH. Instead they've informed the market that UMF doesn't necessarily = Manuka, thereby creating doubt in the market. Manuka was in high demand and got big bucks for its efficacy not for its Manukaness (however that was defined), the govt redefined the game as Manukaness and consumers shrug and say 'so what'.
Additionally, the market and pricing was created from Dr Molan (and others) published research and promotion of "Manuka"'s efficacy against external wounds & burns. There has been very little significant research produced showing Manuka's efficacy over the last 20 years. Consumers need new research, new reasons to buy, and they haven't had it.
what annoys me is the levels where not set to the science but also statically models for people faking it. ie set higher levels than was needed to make it harder for people to fake it.
and eating it does what....?
A case of a market created by mis-information by silence or lack of questioning claims of unproven qualities.
And since when does the producer question the consumer about what they intend to do with the product?
While that is true, has any research been done to find out if tiger bones, rhinoceros horns, or pangolin scales have any real effect on libido?
Yet Chinese people have been paying phenomenal sums of money for those products for hundreds of years.
So while I agree that the high price of manuka has been based on something almost equal to misinformation, the product also slots right into the cultural beliefs and psychology in that part of the world. It is also less of a risk to endangered species than some of the other "health products" going into Asia.
Yet Chinese people have been paying phenomenal sums of money for those products for hundreds of years.
So while I agree that the high price of manuka has been based on something almost equal to misinformation, the product also slots right into the cultural beliefs and psychology in that part of the world. It is also less of a risk to endangered species than some of the other "health products" going into Asia.
Well I for one have spent a lot of time talking with end users, some of whom tell of great relief and success by consuming Manuka honey.
As for the doubters, where is your research showing that MH does nothing for a person consuming it?
Many NZ beekeepers seem to be the biggest sceptcs, which seems odd since your livelihood depends on consumer perception and demand for the product.
I'll recount a story told me by my old neighbor, after I gave him a jar of manuka honey (the real stuff).
It sat in his cupboard for some time. He got an eye infection and went to the doctor and was given antibiotics. Didn't work and by the time he finished the course 7 days later his eye was real bad. Puss coming out and super painful, he could hardly sleep at night.
He remembered the manuka honey and in desperation before going to bed, put a dob on his eye and rubbed it well in with his fist. Woke up next morning and his eye feeling a lot better. Encouraged, he repeated the procedure the next couple of days, and in 3 days his eye 100% fixed.
It sat in his cupboard for some time. He got an eye infection and went to the doctor and was given antibiotics. Didn't work and by the time he finished the course 7 days later his eye was real bad. Puss coming out and super painful, he could hardly sleep at night.
He remembered the manuka honey and in desperation before going to bed, put a dob on his eye and rubbed it well in with his fist. Woke up next morning and his eye feeling a lot better. Encouraged, he repeated the procedure the next couple of days, and in 3 days his eye 100% fixed.
I agree with my colleagues, the easiest and fastest way is to get a job. Courses are good, but until you practice a couple of seasons, you won't understand. Each season is unique and different from each other. (perhaps because of climate change), and if we are talking about growing queens, there are even more pitfalls. Maybe one season will be enough for you to understand that this is not your vocation. Beekeeping is quite a complex and difficult industry.
I understood the reasons for the decline of the industry. What do you think needs to be done to make the beekeeping industry grow?
I understood the reasons for the decline of the industry. What do you think needs to be done to make the beekeeping industry grow?
Mostly time. Time for sellers to get their markets sorted and for the gold diggers and wannabees to exit the industry. Its simply going to take time for things to settle down. A lot of other industries have gone through the same thing, so its not anything new.