PROJECT SUMMARY
Registering and promoting the Geographical Indication for Turkish pine honey is an opportunity for increased exports, improved supply chain efficiency, revitalized local economies, protected biodiversity and a treat for honey connoisseurs. FAO and the EBRD have helped local stakeholders to define the Code of Practices of the pine honey appellation and supported the application process through technical advice and trainings.
CONTEXT
More than 90 percent of the world’s pine honey comes from Türkiye. Produced in large part by small-scale beekeepers in Muğla province, the honey is made from the honeydew of Marchalina hellenica, an insect that lives in the sap of certain pine trees and whose presence depends on the right environmental conditions.
This EBRD and FAO collaboration is supporting activities to register and promote the Geographical Indication (GI) for Turkish pine honey and support the implementation and eventual certification of the GI standards by establishing a National Pine Honey Association.
GIs are labels that attest to the place of origin of products, and the specific quality derived from that origin, and increasingly command high prices as consumers seek authenticity and quality. They also build trust and transparency in the supply change and help promote biodiversity and local knowledge. These efforts are likely to increase both domestic and export markets for Turkish pine honey, improve efficiency along the supply chain and revitalize local economies, which have been hit hard, for example, by COVID-19 restrictions and forest fires.
Activities
Raise awareness and increase knowledge level about GI among all stakeholders of the pine honey value chain through a series of training activities.
Support the registration and protection of pine honey in Türkiye and eventually the EU ensuring stronger links across the value chain to ensure better efficiency, inclusiveness, quality and fair practices.
Build the capacity of different stakeholders through participation in an international conference and study tours in Türkiye and France.
Support the design and implementation of a certification and guarantee system to ensure GI protection.
Achievements
- An application to Turkpatent –Türkiye’s patent and trademark agency – for GI status for Turkish pine honey has been submitted in collaboration with the Aegean Agricultural Research Institute and the ten district unions of the Beekeepers’ Association.
- A seminar in 2019 gathered Türkiye’s major pine honey players together to increase efficiency, sustainability and inclusivenessas part of efforts to advance the GI registration. Participants included beekeepers, processors, exporters, government officials and scientists.
- Training activities in seven provinceson the definition, benefits and implementation of GIs, good production practices, hygienic honey production and worldwide honey GI examples.
- Seminars and technical working group meetingswith multiple sector stakeholders from the academic, public and private sectors in 2020 and 2021 to develop a Book of Specifications and Code of Practice for GI.
- In 2022, a statement of establishment of applicationto register the National Pine Honey Association formally submitted to the Ministry of Interior.
- Support the establishment of theAudit Team for the registered GI as well as the National Pine Honey Association.
- A delegation attended the CIRAD-FAO Conference, France, in July 2022 on Worldwide perspectives on Geographical Indicatorsto share experiences from the Turkish Pine Honey GI project and, upon return, share lessons learned with project stakeholders.
- Establish a partnership withBalparmak, a producer of high-quality honey, to build capacity in pine honey production including training and technical assistance for beekeepers, particularly women and young people, and for smaller producers to build consortiums to improve quality, strengthen bargaining power, and encourage innovation.
- A knowledge exchangetrip of 20 pine honey stakeholders to France to see earlier work by the EBRD and FAO on GIs for Bursa Black Fig, Bursa peach and Gemlik olives.
