Zambian enterprise

Here's an encouraging story from Zambia to make you stop and think:

Forest Fruits Zambia Limited, a honey processing company in Mwinilunga, has been earning about US $55,000 per year in organic honey exports... the company's income has increased in the past four years from 35 per cent to 500 per cent... the company ... buys honey from 3,000 farmers in North-Western Province, and there are 2,500 farmers waiting to be trained this year.

It goes on to say that it will diversify into other products, such as pineapple caning, essential oil production and mushroom production, but for the moment honey and beeswax lead the way.

Interesting enterprise story — but hang on, $55,000 (about UK £30,000) is probably not much more than the average annual salary for a single person in parts of the western world. And it involved 3,000 farmers. Um. Puts some things in perspective.