B y  D R . J A M E S T E W

Woosler,  Ohio

T H E B U R M E S E B E E K E E P I N G

PROJECT

  A T T H E  A G R I C U L T U R A L

T E C H N I C A L I N S T I T U T E

T H E   A G R I C U L T U R A L  Technical  In -

s t i t u r e h a s  recent ly  had the  p r i v i l e d g e  of

w o r k i n g w i t h  t h e  G o v e r nm e n t o f  B u r m a

and the

  U.S . D epa r tmen t

  of

  Sta te .

  A s ix

m o n t h

  i n s t r u c t i o n a l  p r o g r a m  w as  in i t ia led

in  M arch , 1980 ,  t h a t

  w as  des i gned  to in-

s t r u c t  B u r m a n  s t u d e n t s  in  f u n d a m e n t a l

an d

  advanced aspects

  of

  A p i c u l t u r e .

 T he

'basic  i n s t r u c t i o n a l  p rog ram cons i s t s  of

classwork , p rac t ical appl ica t ions and

t o u r s o f  selected  b ee  ope ra t ions  in the

m i d w e s l e r n  and sou the rn pa r t s o f t he

U.S . The B u rm ese gove rnm en t is ac ti ve ly

a t t e m p t i n g   t o dev e lop t he  n a t i o n ' s n a t u r a l

resources  in  many r e spec t s ;  one of  w h i c h

is

  beekeeping.

B u r m a  i s par t of the Golden Tr iang le ,

(Bu rma , Tha i l and ,

  an d  Laos) . This  is an

area  t h a t  i s considered to b e a major p ro-

d u c e r o f  o p i u m w h i c h p e r m e a t e s m a n y

nations  including  t he

  United

 Sta te s .

  Since

 Burma's  basic  re son for  training  beekeepers...

t he ear ly

  1970's,  t h e B u r m e s e G o v e r n m e n t

ha s  been engaged  in  e f f o r t s  to  s u p r e s s  il -

licit  d r u g t r a f f i c  in i ts  po r t ion  of the

  t r i a n g l e .

  U n d e r

  the

  t e r m s

  of a

  1974

ag reem en t , t he Uni t ed S tat e s ha s p rov ided

the  B u r m e s e G o v e r n m e n t o v e r $ 30 mil l ion

in  a n t i -n a r c o t ic s e q u i p m e n t ( p r i m a r i l y

h e l i c o p t e r s  and

  f i x e d - w i n g e d

  a i r c r a f t ) .

B e c a u s e m u c h  of the  G o l d e n  Triangle

o p i u m i s s m u g g l ed  i n t o  t he  Uni ted S ta t e s

a s he ro in , Bu rmese u se o f  t h i s e q u i p m e n t

in narcot ics suppress ion i s of d i rec t

benef i t  to the  Uni ted S ta t e s . Su rp r i s ing l y ,

the op ium popp y p roduce r i s no t  rea l ly

v e r y  well  paid  for his ef for t s . The per

cap i t a income o f Bu rma i s

 $100.00.

  If a

prod ucer could be g iv en any other m eans

of earning  a  l i ve l ihood , poppy p roduc t ion

w o u l d  decline.

  Thi s  is

  B u r m a ' s b a s ic

reason  f or  t ra inin g beekeepers a long  w i t h

m a n y o t h er e d u c a t i o n a l p r o g r a m s

p r e s e n t l y   u n d e r w a y .

Since  t he  beekeep ing in s t r uc t iona l p ro -

g ram   is  u n i q u e  in the  U n i t e d S t a t e s ,

s e v er al B u r m a n d i g n i t a r i e s v i s i t ed   t he

W o o s te r c a m p u s d u r i n g J u n e   1980.  They

were accompan ied by Mr . Geo rge She r r y ,

D e p u t y C h i e f  of  M i s s i o n  of the

  U n i t e d

S t a t e s E m b a s s y , R a n g o o n , a n d M r . J o h n

Ly le ,  U n i t e d  S ta t e s Depa r tmen t o f S t a t e .

U

 O hn  K y i , D e p u t y M i n is t e r of  H o m e  and

Rel ig ious Affai r s , i s the highes t Burmese

of f ic ia l  ever received

 by the

  Uni ted Sta te s .

T h e  B u r m a n s t u d e n t s , u n d e r  t h e  w a t c h f u l

eye of three di f fe rent   t e lev i s ion  cameras ,

as

  wel l

  as  r epo r t e r s ,  worked bees  for

t he

 B u r m a g u e s t s . O t he r b e e k e ep i n g t o u r s

and

  d e m o n s t r a t i o n s w e r e  also  c o n d u c t e d .

T he

  en t i r e  vi s i t

  w a s a

  r e w a r d i n g

  ex -

per ience  for the bee  p r o g r a m .  T he

Bu rmese s t uden t p rog ram has gone ve r y

wel l  at  A T I .  I t is  hoped t ha t  t r a i n i n g

received   b y t h e B u r m e s e s t u d e n t s  w p   l play

a  p a r t  in the  u l t i m a t e  d e v e l o p m e n t  of a

s t r o n g ,  p r o d u c t i v e b ee k e e p in g i n d u s t r y i n

B u r m a . D

D r .  James  T ew  t a l k s w i t h  U O h n  K y i , D e p u t y

  M i n i s t e r

  of  H o m e  and  R e l ig i o u s A f f a i r s . ( B u r m a )

A U G U S T

  1980

  ,  - -

;v  - ' ' . • ' ' -

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