Sabah’s green honey popular in Singapore
KOTA KINABALU (July 28): Sabah’s green honey became an instant hit with Singaporeans at the recent Borneo Fest 2024, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
During her tour of the Sabah products exhibition there, she observed that the Borneo green honey products were sold like hot cakes.
“Green honey is a rare and precious wild honey. Public response was encouraging. Many Singapore residents were amazed to see honey in green colour for the first time. They were full of admiration for Sabah’s ability to produce green honey for health benefits.
“I was informed by Carmen Wong (the green honey producer from Menggatal) that her company had achieved 95 per cent sales,” said Liew who officiated at the Borneo Fest 2024 event.
Based on scientific research, green honey has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, she added.
The minister encouraged Wong to expand her domestic business to Singapore and other international markets, given green honey’s competitive edge in the field of natural health products.
The managing director of NS Field had a field day trying to educate visitors on the Green Bee (Apis Bee) which lives in the canyons of the tropical rainforests in Borneo.
Wong said this species has a deep green appearance and is about three centimetres long, and prefers to build its nest on the forest floor, unlike other bees.
“When the bees collect nectar, they pass through the flower petals to extract chlorophyll from the flower stems, This results in green honey with a greenish colour and a unique taste that is different from the honey sold in the market,” she explained.
Sharing the story of her entrepreneurial journey with the minister, Wong revealed that she stumbled upon green honey by chance five years ago.
“I was fascinated by its rich nutritional content that is essential to the human body. This discovery sparked my determination to find the best source of green honey. After numerous difficulties and with help from others, I finally found this precious honey source in a border village in Borneo,” said the pioneer.
Currently, NS Field collects raw green honey from beehives in the tribal villages on a monthly basis.
-Agency
