Honey production in the Serra da Louão was again very low this year, as in 2022, due to unfavorable weather conditions, the manager of the Cooperativa Lousãmel told the Lusa agency this Thursday.
In 2022, according to Ana Paula Sansana, the amount of honey that some 200 active members delivered to the cooperative amounted to about five tons, which was already far from some of the values achieved on the ridges over the last decade.
The executive director of Lousãmel, on the other hand, acknowledged that the study of the most recent products of beekeepers in the demarcated honey region with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Serra da Luzan, for administrative reasons related to the certification process, has not yet been completed. must be completed, despite the fact that honey collection occurs between July and August.
“The Serra da Lozan certification book may be subject to change,” he explained, stressing that 2023 was a bad year overall. However, the quantification of yields, known in the beekeeping world as ridges, is still in the evaluation stage, stressed Ana Paula Sanzana. “Some beekeepers no longer certify their honey because of the huge costs they have to incur in the process,” he lamented.
In recent years, faced with increasing challenges, some related to climate change, as well as hive attacks by varroa and Asian wasps, Luzamel is “fighting an uphill battle to preserve the PDO honey of the Serra da Luzão as the flag of the region.” .
“It is important to be certified so that there is a guarantee for the product,” says the technical manager of Lousãmel, located in the Matinhos industrial zone in Lusana, and headed by beekeeper António Carvalho.
Ana Paula Sansana assured that “the honey is still of very good quality”, despite the fact that, she reiterated, harvest volumes are “again very low”, according to partial data provided by producers. “We have less and less biodiversity. “, she said, pointing out that the drought this year was the aspect that had the greatest impact on the poor performance of the sector in the demarcated region and in general from the north to the south of Portugal. PDO Honey Serra da Lozan is currently worth 16 on the market euros per kilogram.
In 2018, the quantity of certified product was 900 kilograms, the lowest level in 30 years, due to severe fires in 2017 that consumed vast areas of forest dominated by heathers, the flowers of which are the basis of the unique characteristics of this honey. . .
The dark hue is one of the characteristics of this honey, which beekeepers use to sell at the Losan Honey and Castanya Fair, the 32nd edition of which is scheduled to take place from November 17 to 19.
The initiative, promoted by Camara da Luzan in partnership with Lusamel, usually takes place in the Municipal Exhibition Park, attracting thousands of people to this city in the Coimbra district. PDO Serra da Lozan Honey is produced in the municipalities of Arganil, Castanheira de Pera, Figueiro dos Vinhos, Gois, Lozan, Miranda do Corvo, Pampilosa da Serra, Pedrogão Grande, Penela and Vila Nova. de Poiares, in the districts of Coimbra and Leiria. .
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.