Kg Sedili Kechil finds alternative source of income with stingless bee honey production
Kampung Sedili Kechil in Kota Tinggi, Johor, has potential to be promoted as a “mini hub” for the production of stingless bee honey (madu kelulut) because of its pristine natural environment.
Its village chief Bakri Abdullah said the village had been selected as a “living lab” by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) for a pilot project in honey production.
“The project began last October, with 20 villagers from Sedili Kechil, Sedili Besar and Tanjung Sedili chosen to participate.
“We were selected under UMT’s Knowledge Transfer Programme, aimed at helping villagers find alternative sources of income and boosting the local economy.
“Because we are near the sea, fishing in addition to palm oil share-cropping are currently the main sources of income for villagers,” he said.
The 44-year-old said the pilot project was expected to run for about a year before it was expanded to other villages.
“At the moment, villagers are managing 60 stingless bee hives, each capable of producing around 1kg of honey per month,” he said, adding that the villagers could earn approximately RM500,” he said.
“The income isn’t just from selling honey.
“The villagers have also started making soap and lip balm from the beeswax, further diversifying their sources of revenue.”
Non-governmental organisation Sedili Stingless Bee Community chief Zulkapli Mohd Yunos, 59, said honey production depended heavily on the weather.
“During rainy periods, the bees don’t leave their hives to collect nectar, meaning there’s no harvest during the monsoon season.
“The current unpredictable weather has slowed production, but we hope things will improve next year,” he said, adding that the market price for stingless bee honey ranged between RM80 and RM150 for 320g.
Zulkapli, who maintains around 30 hives at his home, said only 26 were active colonies.
“The unpredictable weather has caused some bees to migrate. The business relies on the surrounding natural environment.
“We hope it remains undisturbed by development.”
