As a ten-year-old, Radoslav Zečević from the village of Židovići in Pljevići did not ask his father to buy him a dog or a horse. Radoslav, somewhat unusual for that age, asked his father to buy him bees.
"There were a lot of people in the neighborhood who were engaged in beekeeping, I helped them a little and that's how I fell in love with bees. I suggested to my father to buy bees and he came out to meet me and bought six colonies. That's how my beekeeping business began, which continues it's been 11 years," the youngest professional beekeeper in Montenegro told "Vijesti".
He, along with 50 other colleagues, took part in an exhibition of bee products in Nikšić's Trg Slobode, where about 50 exhibitors participated.
In the beginning, the help of his parents was greater, but as he grew, and with him the apiary, this twenty-one-year-old young man, a third-year student of the Faculty of Biotechnology in Podgorica, majoring in plant production, became completely independent in his work. He is helped by his parents and his one-year-younger sister Lucija, but it is still known who is the main beekeeper in the production.
"Beekeeping was to some extent a family tradition, although it was interrupted for a while. I, well, renewed it. My sister and parents help me and together we succeed on this path. I started with six colonies, today I have an apiary with about 80 production colonies and about thirty auxiliary ones during the season, as well as 107 brooders for queens", says the young but very experienced beekeeper not without pride.
Although many think that beekeepers are immune to bee stings, Radoslav admits that he enters the oil garden with complete protection.
"I only go in without gloves when it comes to producing queens, because they are marked. I signed a contract with the Association of Beekeeping Organizations of Montenegro and this year I produced 400 queens for the Association," says Zečević, who moves the apiary to Odžiće, under the Ljubišnja mountain, in the summer. twenty kilometers from the city.
"You can make a living from honey. Currently this is an additional source of income for our family, but I plan to make it even more professional and be the only source of income. I believe that beekeeping is one of the most profitable branches of agriculture and that in the near future it will be the most sustainable branch of agriculture ", the young beekeeper is convinced.
Svetlana Jovanović from Podgorica also started beekeeping ten years ago.
"The love for beekeeping happened by chance. After the death of my husband, who was engaged in beekeeping, I also started doing this work. I thought that I would never love something as much as I love beekeeping. It is a very nice job and I would recommend it to all women who are able to deal with this work," says Jovanović.
There were, he admits, ups and downs, as in any business. It is precisely her love for beekeeping that helps her to deal with the biggest problems such as the market and "fake" honey.
"If purchasing power is not as it should be, work does not gain importance either. But little by little, as they say. However, the biggest problem is fake honey. Our citizens, and especially foreigners, have lost confidence in the quality of Montenegrin honey, which is of high quality and recognized. Unfortunately, there is anything and everything at those street sales, not least honey, and I hope that the relevant ministry will do everything to protect Montenegrin honey and make it a brand," said Jovanović, a former employee of the Center for Social Work in Cetinje. , and today she is a pensioner.
When it comes to bees, she has "turned around" a lot, so now she mostly only protects her head while working with them.
This year, Jovanović spun about 1.200 kilograms of ned.
From hobby to job for young people
Vojin Đukanović, president of the Nikšić Beekeeping Organization, the largest in Montenegro, with around 300 members and 12.000 bee societies, greeted the beekeepers on behalf of the organizers, while Radule Miljanić, president of the Association of Beekeeping Organizations of Montenegro, said that this organization is recognized as one of the most organized in the agriculture sector.
Opening the event, Dragan Perović, the vice-president of Nikšić Municipality, said that Nikšić beekeeping has a future and that "it is not only an occupation for pensioners, but a profitable business for young people".
"There are more and more bee colonies in Nikšić every day, and the fact that more and more young people are choosing beekeeping as their profession is especially pleasing. Beekeeping requires full dedication, enormous effort and work, and immense patience towards the wonders of nature. The imperative of modern society to produce and use healthy food it is you who are making a full contribution here today," said Perović.
"Fairy honey" is sold for up to five thousand euros per kilogram
The most expensive honey in the world, called "Fairy honey", is produced in Turkey and its price is 5.000 euros per kilogram.
It is about 18 kilograms of honey, which, due to the large amount of minerals, is used as medicine, not as a food product. It was found in a 1.800-meter-deep cave in the Saricayir Valley in Artvin, in the far northeast of Turkey.
So far, six kilograms of honey have been sold. On the French stock exchange in 2009, a kilogram of said honey was sold for 45.000 euros, while a year later pharmacists from China gave 28.000 euros for it.
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