Kikonyogo Ngatya
10 June 2008
Kampala — A COMMON exotic tree species introduced in the country about two decades ago as fodder for animals, has been found to have high nectar content.
Bee researchers in Tororo District found out that the tree is capable of increasing Uganda's annual honey production.
The calliandra tree has, for many years, been promoted as fodder for goats, sheep and cattle.
Dr Jolly Kabirizi an animal nutritionist with the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), notes that calliandra contains a lot of nutrients for animals. She has spent a decade studying its animal nutrient value.
"It has vitamins, fats, is easily digested by animals and especially dairy animals and it increases milk out-put," she notes in a study done in Mukono District.
Many of the farmers practising zero-grazing in various parts of the country embraced calliandra as fodder to complement banana peelings and elephantgrass.
As compared to the mutuba tree whose fresh leaves are harvested and given to animals as food supplements, calliandra is fast-maturing. It is drought resistant and highly nutritious to animals.
Unlike the mutuba tree which sheds off its leaves to avoid water loss in the dry season, calliandra flowers and is green throughout the year. The bees visit calliandra throughout the night, collecting nectar.
Dr Robert Kajobe, the Head of Apiculture Research Programme at the National Livestock Resources Research Institute, said they were using their study to launch a deliberate campaign to plant calliandra, especially among beekeepers. "Bees make a lot of honey from the tree," Kajobe said. Uganda currently produces about 50 metric tonnes of honey per year, according to the Uganda Honey Beekeepers Association.
But a recent study supported European Union, examined the chemical residue levels in the local honey conducted by a German professor noted that the country had a capacity to produce up to 500,000 metric tonnes per year.
Kajobe said they are still evaluating how many colonies an acre of calliandra can support and the honey it can produce.
He said their initial observations on per unit benefits suggest a huge increment in honey collection from bees in the vicinity of calliandra.
"But you also have to note that the bees visit some other plants. This is an enhancement, a clean source of honey for the bees. If planted around your colonies, it makes bees stay inside their colonies," Kajobe said.
Calliandra is a fast-maturing small-tree (2-12 m) high. It has a trunk diameter of up to 30cm, with white to red-brown bark and a dense canopy. The tree is a native of the humid and sub-humid regions of Central America and Mexico.
Calliandra got to Africa some three decades ago as a reforestation and fodder strategy. Several farmers' programmes are promoting the tree. Its seeds are easy to access.
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