New beekeeping hub launched in Sinesine Yongomugl

Matri Degene with the Bussy Honey product in front of the new building. Matri and her husband Mak Degene are the directors of Bussy honey and Integerated Farming. (NBC News)

A new honey processing and training facility has been officially launched in Masul Village, Tabare LLG, in the Sinesine Yongomugl District of Simbu Province.

The K149,710 centre, funded under the PNG Agriculture Commercialisation and Diversification Project (PACD), will serve as a training hub for bee farmers across Sinesine Yongomugl and wider Simbu.

Farmers will learn proper honey harvesting, processing, and packaging techniques.

The launch doubled as a graduation ceremony, with the first batch of trainees receiving certificates of completion in beekeeping.

Speaking at the event, PACD representative Janet Lali commended Mak Degene the director of Bussy Honey and Integerated Farming and his wife for their commitment.

“This building will serve as a training hub where bee farmers from SSY and other districts can learn proper honey harvesting, processing, and packaging techniques. This is exactly what the PACD project was designed to do – help rural entrepreneurs build businesses that lift their communities,” Lali said.

Simbu Department of Agriculture and Livestock Principal Advisor Erick Gore highlighted the economic value of honey.

He said local honey is in high demand in Simbu, Port Moresby, Lae and other centers, selling at premium prices as consumers prefer PNG-grown products over imports.

“Honey production is not just about selling honey – it’s about building a business that can support families, send children to school, and improve the standard of living in our villages,” Gore said.

National Department of Agriculture and Livestock Assistant Secretary Highland Region, John Jave said beekeeping was added to PACD’s commodities because it offers fast returns, needs less land, and provides income through honey, beeswax, and pollination services.

The new building for honey Processing and training facilities for Bussy Honey and Integrated Farming. (NBC News)

Bussy Honey is one of 34 beneficiaries under PACD’s Spices and Small Livestock component.

PACD is funded by the World Bank and PNG Government and delivered through NDAL and CIC to commercialize agriculture and build sustainable rural economies.