Call for over 700 thousand euros for the Italian beekeeping sector

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 06 - Technical assistance, fight against diseases, improvement of laboratories, support for the repopulation of the beekeeping heritage, market monitoring.

These are some of the actions, for a total of 795 thousand euros, made possible by the distribution of the beekeeping funds relating to the Mipaaf 2020-2021 sub-program financed under the three-year program for the improvement of the production and marketing of apiculture products and contemplated in the published Call on August 3. A national program which, taking into account the resources recently allocated to the individual Regions by directorial decree of 22 July last, can count on a total budget of over 7 million euros for the beekeeping year 2020/2021.

"Important resources provided by the CMO for the support of the beekeeping sector", underlines Minister Teresa Bellanova, "to which the 2 million allocated nationally for the financing of innovative projects aimed at improving quality, at the management of the risk and promotion. After recently issuing the decree defining its application modalities, "the minister continues," we plan to publish the new call at the beginning of September. As evidence of how beekeeping is a sector considered strategic for the Country".

Strategy confirmed by numbers: according to the latest edition of the Crea Yearbook, Italian beekeeping has about 57,000 beekeepers, professionals and non-professionals (about 1/3 are professionals), with around 1,400,000 beehives (almost 1 million those managed by professional beekeepers) located in all Italian regions (leads Piedmont with over 206,000 hives, followed by Lombardy with over 151,000 hives). "A sector to be protected as a whole", concludes the minister, "both for the economic and social value and for the ecosystem services it offers to the community". (HANDLE).