Traditional “Honey Festival” Opens in Tashkent

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The sixth traditional “Honey Festival,” a national and international apiculture and food products exhibition-fair, is taking place from 2 to 11 December in Tashkent’s Anhor Park.

The event is organized by the Beekeepers’ Association of Uzbekistan and the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

According to sectoral institutions, ongoing reforms in the apiculture industry have driven strong growth: the number of businesses operating in the sector reached 35,000 in 2025 — up 9% from 2024 and 2.3 times higher than in 2017.

The number of bee colonies has exceeded 1.8 million, while honey production has risen to 17,000 tonnes.

Export indicators also show positive momentum: exports of bee packages to Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia amounted to US$3.26 million.

More than 400 producers of beekeeping products from across the country, as well as about 1,500 specialists and industry experts, are participating in the exhibition-fair.

Foreign guests include representatives from Russia, China, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Türkiye, along with professors from research institutes and leading international experts.

The event’s prominence is underscored by the participation of representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).