BEEKEEPING IN PINEAPPLE SMALLHOLDINGS: A CASE OF APIS MELLIFERA

Beekeeping, a traditional subsistence industry in coconut smallholdings, has long been ignored by many developing countries as a source of additional income to farmers and as a foreign exchange earner to the country. The states of Perak, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak have long been the centre for beekeeping activity in Malaysia. The two main bee species reared in Malaysia are Apis cerana (local bees) and Apis mellifera (imported bees). The study was conducted to ascertain the benefits to beekeepers in the pineapple smallholdings under the potential incentive for agriculture and agro-based industry. It was an attempt to look at how much a beekeeper can actually earn after taking into account the incentives provided. Data for this study were collected from surveys involving beekeepers rearing Apis mellifera in Johor. The methods used include the common project evaluation indicators and its impact on the potential incentive. The results indicate that beekeeping projects provide additional income to farmers and higher returns with government incentives. The extra income was solely derived from selling of honey. Since the beekeeping project is viable, the introduction of this project to rural farmers will contribute positively to product diversification, poverty eradication and rural development.