Beekeepers use company environmental preservation areas to produce honey in ES Amid the preservation areas of Aracruz, in the North of Espírito Santo, beekeeping has become a source of income for dozens of families and guaranteed the city's position among the largest honey producers in the state. The beekeepers found space on the premises of a cellulose industry to set up apiaries. The initiative emerged from the Sustainable Beekeeping program, which aims to strengthen the honey production chain in the state. ? Click here to follow the g1 ES channel on WhatsApp Launched in 2005 in Brazil and in 2014 in Espírito Santo, the program covers the organization and management of associations and offers technical and administrative support. A beekeeper for over 50 years, Sebastião Grazziotti has around 30 apiaries, with 20 hives each, within forest areas. He saw the location as an opportunity for producers. "The preservation here is well cared for. It's the only place where we find careful preservation, with plenty of natural resources, because other areas don't have them," he said. Beekeepers receive support with the Sustainable Beekeeping Program in Aracruz, Espírito Santo Douglas Abreu / TV Gazeta READ ALSO: SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION: Agroecological coffee gains space in ES with grains with better flavor CARRAPITO: Discover century-old artisanal sweet made in ES ACHACHAIRU: discover bittersweet fruit of Bolivian origin that helps control blood pressure The program supports six beekeeper associations, with a total of 1,170 hives. The average production is almost 35 kg each, resulting in approximately 40.9 tons of honey per harvest, carried out twice a year. To join the project, you must be part of one of the associations. The program also brought a solution to the biggest problem for many beekeepers: the lack of space to keep bees, as was the case with Domingos Alburghetti. "Most beekeepers do not have their own rural property, so they depend on their partner. As they have conservation areas, which are quite protected, that is the place where we can install the hives and they [the bees] have food around them for their subsistence", he explained. Honey producers receive training, access to inputs, technologies and equipment related to beekeeping Douglas Abreu / TV Gazeta Support for producers The program also encourages the training of beekeepers. Rafaela Cavalcanti, the company's social development consultant, highlighted that, in addition to the provision of space, access to inputs, technologies and equipment related to beekeeping is also offered. “We worked with them on the issue of obtaining their beekeeper card, which is extremely important for their professionalization and so that they can sell the product with greater security”, he highlighted. Environmental benefit In addition to generating income, beekeeping and meliponiculture, which is the creation of stingless and stingless bees, respectively, play a fundamental role in balancing the environment. Domingos Alburghetti recalled that bees provide a vital service for biodiversity. "Bees provide a priceless service to all of humanity, across the planet, through pollination," he said. A way that allows the complete cycle of many species in nature. Preservation area is used for honey production in Aracruz, Espírito Santo Douglas Abreu / TV Gazeta Aracruz leads honey production According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Espírito Santo produced 846 thousand kilos of honey in 2024, an increase of 55% compared to 2016, when the volume was 544 thousand kilos. The value of honey production more than doubled in the state, going from R$6.2 million in 2016 to R$12.3 million in 2024. Among the highlights, Aracruz leads the state ranking, responsible for 10.6% of production, followed by Fundão (9.7%) and Marechal Floriano (9.5%). * Reporting by Ana Maria Vasques, supervised by Breno Alexandre and Juirana Nobres. Videos: everything about Espírito Santo See the latest news from g1 Espírito Santo