MARANG: A deep-seated passion for bees since his school days drove a former bank employee to expand his stingless bee (kelulut) honey business, recording annual sales of hundreds of thousands of ringgit and highlighting the industry’s vast potential in Terengganu.
Stingless bee farmer Nor Ehsan Abd Rahman, 48, said that his involvement in the field began in Form Three, when he began collecting wild bee nests from forests and residential areas.
“I have now successfully developed a stingless bee honey business named Big Bee Honey, marketing various honey-based products, including food items and personal care products such as soap,” he said when met at his farm in the Merchang Forest Reserve here recently.
The two-hectare farm was established in 2014 with an initial capital of RM20,000. It now houses over 1,000 stingless bee colony logs.
“Currently, we have 13 farm workers, including zakat recipients who undergo eight months of training, covering stingless bee care through to business operations,” he said, Bernama reported.
Nor Ehsan said the farm’s main challenges include disturbances from wildlife, such as bears, as well as the risk of theft given its proximity to a 1,400ha acacia forest, which serves as a nectar source.
This environment allows the produced honey to be categorised as acacia-based monofloral honey rather than multifloral honey derived from various sources.
Nor Ehsan stated that his company engages in research and development by collaborating with Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) on studies related to stingless bee colonies.
Nor Ehsan said the farm recorded annual sales of RM300,000 last year and aims to reach RM500,000 this year through stronger marketing efforts and further international expansion.
Furthermore, he said Big Bee Honey products hold halal certification from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), the Food Safety is the Responsibility of the Industry (Mesti) certification from the Health Ministry, and the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices (myGAP) certification.
“Within the next five years, I aim for this farm to become a centre for reference, learning and practical training, specifically for the B40 group to venture into stingless bee farming,” he said.
