The Omani honey harvest stokes a rich tradition 

The Omani honey harvest stokes a rich tradition 

The main Omani honey harvest is underway in the northern mountainsides, climaxing the biannual “liquid gold” cultural tradition.

At this time of the year, markets in the district of Al Rustaq, a southern governorate, teem with honey. As the gateway to the northern mountains, the district brings the honey via traders to its famous Old Souq. 

As most honey ends up in domestic markets, the locals are able to sample the woodsy-flavored “Al Baram” type at local prices.

The secret to the richness lies in the use of wooden or plastic beehives which farmers put inside hollow palm trees. The wood of these trees adds aroma and helps concoct some of the finest honey varieties in the Arabian peninsula.

Traditional hollowed out trunks for putting beehives abound in such places as the Jebel Shams mountains of northeastern Oman.

Another strategic harvesting place is the Al Hajar mountain chain in northern Oman, which borders the United Arab Emirates.

Here again palm logs not only shield bees from the summer heat but improve the honey quality.  

According to the Middle East Eye, honey collection today still continues a tradition where barehanded harvesters climb on ropes atop rocky overhangs. 

Finding natural hives is a painstaking process where harvesters must first locate the watering place of the bees to track them.

The bees that live in these natural cavities are dwarf breeds, which produce low quantity but very expensive honey. 

The most common harvesting method is that of harnessing the sweetener from honeycombs inside log-like wooden beehives. The method aims at sustainability whereby the beekeepers take care not to exhaust the honey to perpetuate future production.

Harvesting takes place two times a year from March to May and then September through December. 

In a typical year, nationwide production reaches around 600 tonnes, but can top 900 tonnes in a good season. 

In short, the Omani honey harvest in two diverse mountainsides is finishing its 2024 run with great promise. And as the following data shows, conventional beekeeping is the secret to this success.

Omani Honey Production Statistics

Oman is one of the honey-producing nations that boast quality over quantity because of the conventional production methods. The bulk of natural honey from Oman comes from traditional beekeepers. According to governmental data, courtesy of the Times of Oman, there were 4,433 traditional beekeepers nationally in 2023. They produced at least 434,622 kg (434.6 tonnes) of honey in that year alone.  In scale, the annual honey production capacity in Oman ranges from 533.7 tonnes (2022) and 947.84 tonnes (2021), according to FAOSTAT.

How does Oman compare in international honey production rankings?

In 2022, Oman ranked 92nd among 129 nations, with a honey production volume of 533.70 tonnes. This was higher than the regional neighbor, Saudi Arabia, at 111.41 tonnes but far lower than world-beating Iran at 77,000 tonnes

What are the local types of honey

There are over a dozen honey types in Oman that range from “Al Baram,” which is the finest, to “Al Sumar.” This last is from the fairly dark bee known as Acacia tortilis.  Other types include “Sidr,” “Shooa” and “Luban,” among others.