Yucatán Honey Program Targets 100 Tons by 2026

Chocholá, Yucatán — To strengthen the Yucatecan beekeeping sector and improve producers’ incomes, the Secretariat of Rural Development (Seder) held an informative assembly in the municipality of Chocholá, home to one of the honey collection centers of the Miel Bienestar Program. The meeting presented the results of the first collection cycle and defined the next steps to expand the program’s coverage.

The meeting was led by the head of Seder, Edgardo Medina Rodríguez, and the general director of Mexican Food Security (Segalmex), María Luisa Albores González, who spoke with beekeepers about the progress of this federal and state strategy aimed at dignifying their work and ensuring fair prices.

Medina Rodríguez affirmed that, with the support of Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena, Yucatán is historically promoting the development of honey and the strengthening of the Yucatecan countryside. He emphasized that the state will consolidate as a strategic point for the collection and distribution of this product nationwide.

“Yucatán will be the strategic collection center that will distribute this product throughout the Republic. The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, chose Chocholá for its importance in honey production, and we will continue working to deliver the corresponding results,” detailed Medina Rodríguez.

For her part, the general director of Segalmex, María Luisa Albores González, detailed that, through combined efforts, the work of beekeepers is being dignified, and she confirmed that the state goal is to collect 100 tons of honey. The federal official reported that in Chocholá, 50 tons are expected to be gathered, with a price of 70 pesos per kilo, and that a second collection center will open in Valladolid to collect another 50 tons.

In his intervention, the municipal president of Chocholá, Erwin Martín Alcocer, acknowledged that the program directly benefits the economy of those who produce honey in the region and thanked the President of Mexico for considering this municipality as a collection point.

During the assembly, beekeepers such as Edith Chan Lara, Claudia Cob Blanco, Rosa Flores Quintal, Marcelo Quintal Aragón, and Nancy Quintal Martín shared concerns and proposals, in addition to thanking the continuity of programs aimed at their well-being and the strengthening of their productive activity.

It was reported that, in the first collection cycle carried out this year, 30.06 tons of bulk honey were collected, thanks to the work of 156 producers. For 2026, it is projected to serve at least 400 beekeepers, thus expanding the program’s reach.

Likewise, it was announced that the packaging plant scheduled to open next year in Valladolid will allow for diversification of the offer with products such as Squeeze honey, honey in glass containers, and honey pads, with national distribution.

Miel Bienestar is 100 percent pure, multifloral, made by the hands of small producers, acquired at fair prices, and free of artificial flavorings and colorings, which strengthens its market value and promotes responsible consumption.

As agreements from the assembly, it was established to conduct an analysis to collect other types of honey under defined quality parameters; open the second cycle of the collection center on March 15, 2026, in accordance with flowering; and form a social oversight committee to monitor the timely fulfillment of the program.

Currently, there are more than 25,000 Tiendas del Bienestar in the country, with the goal of reaching 30,000 this year, which will expand the commercial presence of Yucatecan honey in various states.

With these actions, the Government of the Maya Renaissance reaffirms its commitment to boosting the beekeeping sector, strengthening the rural economy, and consolidating Yucatán as a national reference in honey production.