CURRENT SITUATION, PROBLEMS AND SOLUTION SUGGESTIONS OF BEEKEEPING IN ÇATAK DISTRICT (VAN)

Abstract

Çatak district, which is connected to Van province in the Eastern Anatolia Region, is geographically located between 38 ° 01'30.1 "- 37 ° 59'54.6" north parallels and 43 ° 03'13.6 "- 43 ° 03'32.4" east meridians. The district is located in the B9 square in Davis' Grid (quadrature) system. It is important for bees throughout the district, such as, lamiaceae, thyme, rattleweed (astragalus), salvia aromatic plants (in terms of honey quality) spread over wide areas. In this context, beekeeping has an important place in animal husbandry, which is one of the main sources of income in the district. At this point, the aim of the study is to reveal the current situation of beekeeping in Çatak district, which has an important beekeeping potential, to determine the problems of beekeeping and to offer solutions for the development of beekeeping in the district. Çatak district ranks second after Bahçesaray district in terms of the number of beehives, honey and beeswax production, and the number of enterprises engaged in beekeeping among the districts in the province of Van. As a matter of fact, as of 2020, the number of enterprises engaged in beekeeping activities in the district is 188 and the number of beehives (old + new) is 30,000. On the other hand, honey production was 350 tons as of the same year, while beeswax production was 25.5 tons. On the other hand, although there has been a general increase in honey production over the years, it is observed that the share of this production in Van province has decreased. As a matter of fact, while the share of honey produced in Çatak district in the province was 35% in 2004, this share decreased to 30% in 2010 and finally to 18% in 2020. The main reason for this is the increase in honey production in other districts in the province. As a result, considering the current conditions, it has been determined that although there are suitable conditions for beekeeping activities in the district, beekeeping does not reach the desired level.