Kampala — Uganda's honey can now penetrate the European market after a recent baseline study by Chemiphar Laboratory found it to conformed to European Union (EU) specifications.

Kepher Kateu, the quality assurance manager at Chemiphar Laboratory, said this while releasing the report recently.

Honey from five regions in Uganda was checked during the study.

The regions were eastern, central, south western, western and West Nile.

It aimed at assessing regional differences in the quality of honey.

"We analysed them for qualities like moisture content, acidity, antibiotics and pesticides, heavy metals, freshness, ripeness, residue contaminants among others. We found that the honey from all these regions conformed to eu specifications in most parameters except a few," Kateu said.

The study was financed by dfcu Group, Shell Foundation and Shell Uganda under the Uganda Energy Fund.

Juma Kisaame, the general manager dfcu Leasing Company said, "We are just beginning to improve quality. We believe that honey is of high value, easy to manage and a simple way to alleviate poverty."