RIYADH: Honey has long held a special place in Saudi culture, cultivated by beekeepers across the region for its medicinal and culinary uses. Now, with added government support, its true economic potential and environmental benefits are being realized.

Last year, more than 100 licenses were granted to beekeepers to produce this liquid gold on land administered by the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority, predominantly in the Rawdat Khuraim oasis.

Here, beekeepers have been producing the finest types of natural honey, such as Najdi acacia honey, spring flower honey, wild sidr, salam honey, and shafalah — boosting the local economy with sales of highly prized products.

“Natural honey is a product that is in high demand in the Kingdom,” a spokesperson for the authority told Arab News. “At the reserve, we have natural pastures characterized by honey plants, ensuring that the breeder obtains sufficient nectar to produce honey.”

Saudi Arabia is immensely proud of its honeymaking heritage, attested by events like the Jazan Honey Festival and the Honey and Agricultural Products Festival in the Tabuk region, and weekly auctions in Taif to sell honey and other bee products.

To promote the ancient craft of beekeeping, the reserve recently hosted an integrated “bee basics” training program, offering a new generation the opportunity to earn qualifications and practical experience in honey making.

“Now, the trainees have finished the program and the next honey harvest season will allow us to see the fruits of the program’s labor,” the spokesperson added.

Honey production is one of the most beneficial activities for supporting local plant species and agricultural crops. Bees are pollinating insects. As they visit plants seeking nectar, pollen catches on their bodies and passes between plants, thereby fertilizing them.