Lilyana Women's Cooperative begins honey harvest in Hakkari

Members of the Lilyana Women's Cooperative in Hakkari, Turkey, have completed their first honey harvest through the Organic Beekeeping Project. Following four months of theoretical and practical training provided by the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, the women utilized a 75 percent grant from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to establish their apiary.

Initially acquiring 43 hives and 20 traditional honey baskets, the cooperative members have since increased their capacity to 70 hives. The harvested black hive honey (karakovan balı) is being sold through the cooperative's own business premises. The initiative aims to strengthen female solidarity and economic participation in the region, following the group's previous activities in greenhouse farming, product drying, packaging, and restaurant management.