ECONOMIC IDEAL – Tehran, May 21, IRNA – Slovenian Embassy to Tehran celebrated the World Bee Day in presence of some Iranian honey producers.
The event on the occasion on World Bee Day (May 20) was attended by a number of Iranian officials and foreign diplomats at the Embassy of Slovenia in Tehran.
The central European country took the initiative to designate the birthday of a Slovenian pioneer beekeeper as the international day of bee, and it was approved by the United Nations.
Addressing the guests, Slovenian Ambassador Kristian Radej said that the main goal of designating the day was to raise global awareness on the importance of bees as the wild pollinators for survival of humans, sustainable development and agriculture.
She highlighted the issues of ‘food security, eradication of hunger and malnutrition and preserving the environment’ as determining factors of human livelihood that can benefit from the efforts directed at wild pollinators.
The ambassador also noted that Slovenian beekeepers are willing to help Iranian colleagues in the flood-hit provinces to overcome the challenges the disaster has caused for them.
‘Slovenian beekeepers, with the cooperation of Slovenian Government are offering a significant donation of bee facilities and bee queens which will contribute to the restoration of Iranian beekeeping in the most affected areas,’ she said.
Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, Gerold Bödeker, also delivered a speech to the ceremony.
Slovenia is called the cradle of beekeeping as one in every 200 people in the country is a beekeeper, according to statistics. Beekeeping in the European country constitutes one of the ancient traditions and is regarded as a main part of Slovenian identity.
The industry has given rise to a number of related activities such as honey massage and manufacturers are using honey and its related byproducts in various ways. Bee tourism is also a big part of the tourism industry in Slovenia.
This year was the second year the World Bee Day was celebrated as an international occasion.
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