A beekeeper tends to hives in Sidakan, Erbil, where honey production has reached record levels this year.
Erbil
Sidakan honey production surges fivefold after favorable weather year
ERBIL – Beekeepers in Sidakan, a mountainous subdistrict within the Soran autonomous administration of Erbil governorate, have recorded a fivefold increase in honey production this year, a reversal attributed to favorable weather after several poor harvests.
“Compared to last year, honey production this year has been very good because of the weather,” Imran Mohammed, head of agriculture in Sidakan, told 964. “To get good honey, the weather must be perfectly suitable. It should not be too cold, it should not be too hot, too much rain is bad, and too little rain is also bad.”
According to official 2025 figures, Sidakan’s beekeepers produced over 31 tons of honey this year, compared to just six tons in 2024. The area currently has 192 beekeepers managing 6,357 hives, with an average yield of five kilograms per hive. Last year, average output was only one kilogram per hive.
Mohammed said the 2025 production total of 31,785 kilograms marks “a huge change compared to last year.” He noted that prices vary widely, from 25,000 to 150,000 Iraqi dinars per kilogram depending on quality and type.
Kurdish honey has drawn international attention in recent years, but industry-wide output fell sharply in 2023 and 2024 due to climate change and the spread of disease. Across the Kurdistan Region, production declined by nearly 80% in 2024, with total output dropping from more than 1.6 million kilograms in 2022 to just 664,009 kilograms in 2023. Yields in Sinjar and other regions also suffered.
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