Abstract

Beeswax is a valuable product that can provide a worthwhile income in addition to honey. One kilogram of beeswax is worth more than one kilogram of honey. In Ethiopia, beeswax is one of the important exportable agricultural commodities where the annual production of beeswax is estimated to be more than 5000 tons. About 64,000 tons of beeswax were produced in the world, Asia (mainly India) being the major producer with 31,000 tons. Of all honey bee products the economic importance of beeswax is second after that of honey. But in most cases it has been observed wasting. Therefore, this review paper is initiated to review the national and international resource materials, present the beeswax production and wastage in Ethiopia and other parts of the world and give recommendation for better use it. Tropical countries dominate world beeswax production and export where as the market is in developed countries. Ethiopia is among the top four beeswax producers in the world due to it's predominant traditional system of beekeeping. In some parts of the world, the valuable beeswax resource is neglected and usually wasted and the amount is very significant even though it is not properly documented. Crude beeswax is collected from three sources like local honey wine making shops, from processing companies and directly from the farmers. In every source, there is wastage due to misunderstanding of the use of beeswax in the local as well as international market. Of the total production of beeswax, the major part is utilized for the production of candle, and `Twaf `a candle like stick that used for church ceremony. Aware creation of stakeholders through hands on training along bees wax and honey value chain is very important. Establishment of a beeswax collection and processing centre with the accessible rendering technologies and encouraging the beekeeper to handle the beeswax resource is very important so as to save the resources. In addition to the existing information at hand, further research and development intervention from the government side including incentives is very important and timely. Introducing products traceability system and product standards is also very important.

Keywords

adulteration, beeswax, extraction, rendering, Ethiopia, Twaf, fatty acids, honeycomb, sefef, keskes