Kyiv will become the honey capital of the world

Ukraine won the right to host the 2013 Apimondia International Congress, and for the second time our honey and honey beverages received official recognition as the best in the world.

The 41^st International Congress of the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations Apimondia held on 15–20 September in Montpellier, France awarded Ukraine the right to host the world’s biggest beekeepers’ forum in 2013 in Kyiv. The bid of Ukraine’s capital received 93 votes of members of the Apimondia General Assembly representing beekeepers’ associations from over 80 countries of the world out of 165 possible. Kyiv’s main rivals were Istanbul, Sofia, Budapest, Granada and Verona.

The 43^rd Apimondia Congress which Kyiv will host one year after the EURO–2012 tournament has all chances to become the biggest international specialized congress in the history of Ukraine. About 12 thousand visitors from all over the world are expected to come to Ukraine’s capital to attend this event.

Discover the European Honeyland: it was the slogan of the international campaign on promoting Ukraine’s bid, which lasted for over half a year and helped clinch the victory in Montpellier. This campaign included: a documentary film and several advertising clips, a promo tour of European countries, meetings of representatives of Ukraine’s diplomatic missions in different countries of the world with chairmen of beekeepers’ associations of these countries, etc. The campaign’s idea was based on a paradoxical fact: boasting the largest in Europe (400 thousand beekeepers, 3.5 million bee families, 75.000 tons of annual honey output) and the world’s fifth–largest beekeeping industry and being the homeland to modern beekeeping (the frame beehive was invented by Ukrainian Petro Prokopovych), Ukraine nevertheless remained a terra incognita for the most part of the world beekeeping community.

Ukrainian delegation at the 41^st Apimondia Congress in Montpellier headed by Tetyana Vasylkivska, Chairperson of the Board of the Brotherhood of Beekeepers of Ukraine and Leonid Bodnarchuk, President of the Beekeepers’ Union of Ukraine was supported by Viktor Voitovych, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of Ukraine in the French Republic. During final presentation held in the evening of 19 September — immediately before the decisive voting procedure — Mr. Voitovych delivered official video address of the President of Ukraine to delegates of the Congress.

The right to host the 2013 Apimondia Congress was not the only trophy which the Ukrainians won in Montpellier. Our beekeepers have managed to repeat the 2007 triumph when Ukraine sensationally won 8 prizes at the Apimondia Congress in Melbourne, Australia, and again have received gold medals in the most prestigious nominations of the 41^st Congress. Ukrainian buckwheat honey won the official title of the Best Honey in the World, and dry honey wine made using traditional Ukrainian recipe have again proved its title as the Best Honey Beverage in the World first received two years ago.

Moreover, this time the international jury has also awarded the highest prize to our fruit juice-based honey wine. For the second time in a row Ukraine’s exhibition stand received the ApiEXPO gold medal, and the website of Ukraine’s bid to host the 2013 Apimondia was awarded silver medal in the Beekeeping Internet Projects nomination.

Thus, Ukraine has again proved to the entire international community that the Ukrainian beekeeping industry is currently one of the most powerful and prospective in the world.

Additionally:

• Official site of the International Federation of Beekeeping Associations “Apimondia”: www.apimondia.org
• Official website of the 41st International Apimondia Congress in Montpellier, France: www.apimondia2009.com
• Website of Ukraine’s bid to host the XXXXIII International Apimondia Congress: www.apimondia2013.com
• Official website of Brotherhood of Ukrainian Beekeepers NGO:  www.honeyua.com

Background information on the preparation for the XXXXIII International Apimondia Congress

Ukraine is one of the most powerful beekeeping countries in the world with millennial traditions of this craft. The variety and uniqueness of beekeeping, the unique mixture of technologies that vary widely in different regions of the country, as well as the diverse nature create preconditions for increasing the interest in Ukrainian beekeeping and in Ukraine in general. 

Manufacturing industry fund includes about 400,000 beekeepers and more than 3.5 million of bee colonies, and annual honey production exceeds 75,000 tons that puts Ukraine in the first place in Europe and the fifth place in the world according to this index - after China, India, Argentina and the USA. The 43rd Apimondia Congress held in Kiev in September 2013 will become the biggest international event not only in the history of Ukrainian beekeeping, but also the biggest specialized congress ever hosted by the Ukrainian capital.

Apimondia is the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations that integrates leading specialists, scientists, businessmen and public figures of beekeeping industry. The headquarters of the Federation is located in Rome. The head of the organization is the President of Apimondia - Gilles Ratia, newly elected at the Congress in Montpellier after the resignation of Azher Zyuhaard Yurhensen. Today members of Apimondia are represented by different beekeepers association from 80 countries around the world. Apimondia organises its international congresses in different countries around the world every second year since 1897. In particular, the 41st Congress held on 15 – 20 September a.c. in Montpellier gathered more than 10 000 members from 80 countries, the exhibition ApiExpo 2009 had more than 200 stands and the scientific conference – about 600 reports.

At the 41st International Apicultural Congress APIMONDIA in September 2007 in Australian city of Melbourne Ukrainian delegation won 8 prizes: 4 golden and 4 bronze medals. In particular, Ukraine gained a victory in the most prestigious category – “Commercial honey” – thanks to which Ukrainian honey of white acacia officially bears the title of the Best Honey of the World. The highest awards were also won in the nominations “The best mead” – for the revived traditional Ukrainian recipe, “The best exhibition stand”, “The best beekeeping collection” and the head of Ukrainian delegation Tetyana Vasylkivska was awarded the title of “Honey Queen of Apimondia 2007”. On the whole, Ukraine took the second place after the Australians, the host country of the Congress.

At the final meeting of the General Assembly Apimondia-2007 the head of Ukrainian delegation Tetyana Vasylkivska officially declared on submission of application for holding of Apimondia-2013 in Ukraine.

A year later Ukraine won 15 awards including two cups at the 77th National Honey Show in London.