bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

In his stone house perched on a hill in northern Ethiopia, Amanuel Hiluf puts on his protective suit, carefully adjusting the hood and gloves.
“We have to hurry up, it starts to be hot, and the bees will be upset,” he says.
In his garden in Hawidela, a village about an hour from Mekele, capital of the Tigray region, the beekeeper has about 40 hives from which clouds of bees are soon escaping.
For nearly 20 years, his hives have produced white honey, a creamy, highly prized variety for which the northernmost region of Ethiopia is famous.

Amanuel, 42, remembers a time when they produced “in abundance”.
But that was before the war in Tigray between federal government troops and Tigrayan rebels that raged from 2020 to 2022, which forced him to flee with his wife and children.

“In this region, there was a lot of damage,” he says, pointing to a hill from which shells were fired.
When he returned a few months later, all his hives – and his livelihood – had been destroyed.
Before the war, he could produce about 600kg (1,300lb) of white honey each year and earn some 900,000 birr (about US$7,500 at today’s rates).
The conflict harmed everybody. The sound of bullets has stopped, but there is still the sound of misery.
Beekeeper Amanuel Hiluf
That is a considerable sum in a country where more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.
When he resumed production, Amanuel said he had lost 95 per cent of his earnings. He has gradually rebuilt the hives, but still only produces 100 kilos.
The situation is replicated across Tigray.

Goshu Welealeabzgi, a specialist for the Tigray authorities’ Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources, says 40 to 60 per cent of hives were destroyed by the war.
Before the conflict, he estimates there were 500,000 colonies in Tigray, with 200,000 people directly dependent on beekeeping, in a region of around six million inhabitants.
Bees were also victims of the environmental damage caused by the conflict, especially as desperate villagers were forced to cut down trees, particularly the acacias that covered the hills, to sell or use for firewood.

“If trees are lost and flowers are lost, production will decrease,” says Amanuel.
“The conflict harmed everybody,” he adds. “The sound of bullets has stopped, but there is still the sound of misery.”
His hives are home to Apis mellifera monticola bees, a particularly productive species that can survive the region’s high altitudes. Mekele sits at more than 2,200 metres above sea level.
Ethiopia, an East African country with a population of around 120 million, is the continent’s largest producer of honey.
Nectar is particularly important in Ethiopian culture, with yellow honey used to produce tej, a popular local mead.

Amanuel regularly sells his honey to Birhanu Araya, who runs a small shop in Mekele where dozens of cans containing the precious nectar are piled up.
“There are only very few (bees) because of the war and drought,” says 61-year-old Birhanu, who has been running his business for 25 years.
“The amount that’s entering now is small and the price is very high,” he adds.

Goshu says he remains optimistic.
“If resources are allocated and the community gets on board, maybe it could recover in three to five years,” he says.
“We have to look forward.”


How salt cod is a Christmas family favourite in Portugal, baked, grilled, even in lasagne

‘Bit of a joke’: India’s popcorn tax sparks roasting of complex GST system

The 7 best New Year’s Eve dinners in Hong Kong for 2024

Luckin Coffee’s entry into Hong Kong a sign of mainland Chinese brands’ growing dominance

Food and Drinks

Beekeeper in Ethiopia rebuilds after civil war, hoping to restore white honey production

Beekeeper Amanuel Hiluf checks his beehives in Hawidela, Ethiopia. His hives produce white honey, highly prized, but he had to start from scratch after a civil war wrecked his livelihood. Photo: AFP

Beekeeper Amanuel Hiluf puts on a protective suit before heading to check his beehives in Hawidela, Ethiopia. Photo: AFP

Beekeeper Amanuel Hiluf among his beehives, of which he has about 40. His production of honey is at one-sixth what it was before a civil war that forced him to flee his home. Photo: AFP

Amanuel Hiluf at work. He is not the only beekeeper to have suffered losses as a result of the civil war. Around half the region’s hives were destroyed, an official says. Photo: AFP

Amanuel Hiluf cuts honey and beeswax from a beehive slot in his house in Hawidela, in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Photo: AFP

Clients try honey at Birhanu Araya’s shop in Mekele. Beekeeper Amanuel Hiluf regularly sells his honey to Araya. Photo: AFP

A client buys honey at Birhanu Araya’s shop in Mekele. Photo: AFP

How Big Way Hot Pot turns hotpot idea upside down, and its rapid growth in North America

Big Way Hot Pot’s format allows diners to customise individual pots which are weighed for pricing, and cooked to order. Launched three years ago in Vancouver, Canada, where it continues to expand, the chain is about to start making inroads in the United States. Photo: Big Way Hot Pot

Diners at Big Way Hot Pot can choose their own hotpot ingredients from a selection of more than 100 items. Photo: Big Way Hot Pot

“Your Pot Your Way” is the motto of Canadian hotpot chain Big Way Hot Pot. Photo: Big Way Hot Pot

A typical pot at Big Way Hot Pot with a mala (hot and numbing) soup base. Photo: Big Way Hot Pot

Big Way Hot Pot staff celebrate the restaurant’s third anniversary with founders Jack Yao (back, left) and Christiana Luo (front, third from left). Photo: Big Way Hot Pot

Craft sake using traditional Hong Kong dessert flavours is 3 women’s passion project

(From left) Eummie Chik, Keita Wu and Kiu Au of the Three Sisters Sake Brew Project - an endeavour focused on creating craft sake using traditional Hong Kong dessert flavours and Japanese ingredients - at Sake Bar Chu Chu in Causeway Bay. Photo: Jonathan Wong

A bottle of Three Sisters’ sweet potato soup sake at Sake Bar Chu Chu in Causeway Bay. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The sake has notes of Hong Kong’s popular traditional sweet potato soup dessert. Photo: Instagram/yaoyorozuya_hk

Sake Bar Chu Chu co-founders Yip Sung and Wu at the bar in Causeway Bay. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Three Sisters’ sweet red bean soup flavour craft sake. Photo: Three Sisters Sake Brew Project

The sweet red bean soup sake comes in three different densities and textures. Photo: Three Sisters Sake Brew Project

Hong Kong’s accidental beekeeper and the buzz about ForMe Honey, organically produced in Tuen Mun

Maurise Tse at his family’s ForMe Honey apiary in Tuen Mun. Pictures: Jonathan Wong

Products from ForME HONEY Bee Land, 233 Wo Ping Shan Tsuen, Tuen Man Hong Kong on March 07, 2017. (L-R) Garlic Cloves, Turmeric Cinnamon, Vanilla Lavender, Chocolate Chili, Bulgaria Rose Petal Honey. [FEATURES] SCMP / Jonathan Wong

Portrait of ForME HONEY Belland family members Camay Yeung and Maurise Tse, 233 Wo Ping Shan Tsuen, Tuen Man Hong Kong on March 07, 2017. [FEATURES] SCMP / Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong noodle history and the different noodle styles explained

Shrimp roe thick noodle lo mien from Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle in Hong Kong. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Roast goose with lai fun rice noodles from Yung Kee in Hong Kong. Learn about the different kinds of noodles served in the city, how they are traditionally made, and the foods they are typically paired with. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Wheat noodles originate in Northern China, while rice noodles have Southern Chinese origins, says Dr Siu Yan-ho, a lecturer in Chinese language and literature at Baptist University. 

Marco Li Ka-chi of Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle balancing on a bamboo pole to make noodles. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Shrimp roe thick noodle lo mien at Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

 Cheung Wing Kee started making noodles in the 1950s, producing small quantities using labour-intensive methods.

Roast goose with lai fun rice noodles. The thicker, neutral-tasting noodles are perfect for absorbing the flavours from the roast goose and broth. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

News

World

Africa

Tigray in Ethiopia is famous for its creamy white honey, but civil war destroyed half its beehives. Its beekeepers are still recovering


Tigray in Ethiopia is famous for its creamy white honey, but civil war destroyed half its beehives. Its beekeepers are still recovering.


War and conflict

Ethiopia