7 May 2019
MEDIA RELEASE
The 2017/18 honey season was a mixed bag for New Zealand beekeepers with honey volumes and hive yields up by 35 percent
and 21 percent respectively over the 2016/17 season, while average honey prices were lower than the previous year for
most honey types apart from monofloral mānuka honey, as outlined in this year’s Ministry for Primary Industries 2018 Apiculture Monitoring Programme Report.
“The softening in prices seen in the 2017/18 year have come after more than ten years of increasing value for the
majority of all New Zealand honeys on the international market,” says Karin Kos, Chief Executive of Apiculture New
Zealand.
“Unfortunately, we are continuing to see falling prices and sluggish sales over the 2018/19 year as we compete with
global honeys that typically sell for lower rates than our beekeepers have received over the last four to five seasons,”
says Ms Kos.
“The market downturn has had a significant impact on the profitability of many beekeeping businesses as a result.”
While total registered hive numbers (up 11 percent) and registered beekeeping enterprises (up 9 percent) continued to
increase over the 2017/18 year, Ms Kos says it is unlikely this growth, particularly in the commercial sector, will
continue given current market conditions.
“We can expect to see some rationalisation over the next year as beekeepers consider their options in this tough
market,” says Ms Kos.
On the upside, the report highlighted the increased demand for pollination services with the expansion in several
horticulture sectors including kiwifruit, apples, avocados, stonefruit and blueberries.
“The growth of pollination services is good news for our industry, as it does provide another source of income for
beekeepers,” says Ms Kos.
While the market has been challenging, honey export sales continued to rise with a six percent increase in 2017/18 to
$348 million, driven by both higher export volumes and prices, with export volumes to the United States of America
rising sharply to eclipse China as the largest market.
“There has been an increasing interest in the United States as a relatively new and growing market, particularly for New
Zealand mānuka honey, and this is reflected in the increased sales and retail presence there,” says Ms Kos.
Ms Kos noted that while current conditions were tough for many beekeepers, global demand for natural health and wellness
products continues to grow and New Zealand honeys are well positioned to take advantage of that growth.
“As an industry we have work to do in how we can grow the value of all our New Zealand native and pastoral monofloral
honeys and bee products, and that is a priority for our members,” says Ms Kos.
ENDS