Tarnab emerges as largest honey market in country

Tarnab has been emerged as the largest honey market in Pakistan from where the commodity is distributed to all parts of the country and abroad, said Impact Assessment Study on the honey processing & trading cluster, Peshawar. The market has over 350 shops on two major locations (old and new honey markets) which house a number of enterprises dealing in honey exports and some of the business units at the market also deal in honey bee keeping as well.
The honey cluster is growing in terms of number of apiaries hence honey production and exports. The Bair (Jujube) honey is supplied throughout the country, but major export market is the Middle East. Due to the concentration of apiaries in the Bair flora season in the district, the honey from Punjab is also brought and sold to the exporters.
The core products of the honey cluster are comprised of the honey combs and liquid honey. There are two types of honey combs including Iranian and local. The Iranian honey combs are traded in plastic boxes while the local honey combs are traded in plastic bottles. The liquid honey products are included Ajwain, Bair, Bhekar, Palosa (Acacia Modesta) and Malta (Orange). Ajwain is produced in Swat while Bair (jujube) originates from Attock, Domail, Fateha Jhang, Karak, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Mianwali, Nowshera and Talagung.
The Bhekar liquid honey is produced in Azad Kashmir, Fateh Jhang and Kharian while Palosa (Acacia Modesta) originates from Attock, Azad Kashmir, Fateha Jhang and Kharian while Malta (orange) form of liquid honey produced in Bhalwal and Sargodha. The raw material for honey production is totally indigenous, procured from apiarists during different flora seasons. All of the wholesalers purchase the plastic bottles and food grade cans in bulk from the markets of Multan and Lahore. Packing material is also available in honey market as well. Recently, the trend of using glass bottles for honey packaging has also started.
The products of the honey processing and trade cluster Tarnab Peshawar are famous for its quality and varieties are widely demanded across country. Honey is traded locally in the specified markets on retail and wholesale basis to individual customers and shopkeepers.
The core cluster actors across the honey trading and processing cluster are small, medium and large scale organizations. The small scale organizations are 50 small businesses engaged in retailing of honey. These include the general and grocery stores, bakeries and the small shops within plant nurseries with an initial investment of Rs 0.3 million to Rs 0.5 million with estimated annual sales turnover of about Rs 1 million.