Agriculture & Food

August 15, 2022 News South Sudanese honey is losing the international market due to a lack of standard-compliant quality labels, market operators say.

Woodland beekeeping and farming operations manager Charles Taylor Loria said local traders were facing difficulties breaking into the international market due to poor honey quality control. He said that although South Sudanese honey is organic, it faces challenges in external sales, mainly due to the delay in the South Sudan Bureau of Standards (NBS) providing sellers with the South Sudan Bureau of Standards certification mark.

Local businessmen have tried to export honey products to international markets, such as Australia, Canada or elsewhere, but the export has encountered serious obstacles due to the lack of certification and quality marks issued by the South National Bureau of Standards. Some traders are unscrupulous and take risks to export honey through smuggling and other channels. Because the National Bureau of Standards does not have the necessary equipment and professionals, the testing of honey quality cannot be carried out. It is reported that the International Trade Center (ITC) is currently cooperating with honey producers to formulate relevant rules and regulations to promote the quality of honey products to be better sold locally and exported abroad.

Woodland Beekeeping and Agribusiness is a Juba-registered South Sudanese company that processes, harvests, packs and sells processed honey to supermarkets. The company's current product specifications are available in 1kg, 6kg and 24kg packs.