According to Raphaël Vacher, President of the Apiculteurs et Apicultrices du Québec, the price of a jar of honey is likely to rise as the conditions for producers are currently difficult.
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“In general, there are beekeepers in Quebec right now [produisent] at a loss,” said Raphaël Vacher.
According to a 2021 study by the Center for Studies on the Costs of Production in Agriculture, beekeepers paid an average of $15.44 for a kilogram of honey, while the retail price for the same amount was $13.66.
“If we have a study as serious as the CECPA, I think grocery chains will understand that we have no choice but to raise our prices,” the President said.
The price of renting hives, for example for blueberry growers, has gone from $175 per hive to $225.
“We now have to make corrections to increase our prices and end up at least at 0,” said Raphaël Vacher.
The pandemic, inflation and rising input costs are hurting a lot.
“We have had beekeepers who lay the key for a year. You go bankrupt. The pandemic, after that the whole inflation aspect, interest rates, the minimum wage go up. The sugar that has doubled in three years. “In the fall, we have no choice but to feed our bees sugar to get through the winter,” he explained.
At Miel des Ruisseaux, the climb is inevitable and has already begun.
“We had a 10% stake last year, this year it’s 15%,” said Patrick Fortier, owner of Miel des Ruisseaux.
Importing honey from abroad is not reassuring.
“Producers from other countries who are flooding the market are the ones who manage the price in Quebec. We can’t sell our honey for $20 a jar when our competitor is selling it for $15 or $16,” Mr Fortier said.
Thanks to the diversity of the offer, the company manages to stand out from the competition.
“We have Mead on our side,” Patrick Fortier recalled. Some beekeepers use honey by-products like wax.”