Monday, August 17, 2009

Chinese Immigrant Builds Australian Propolis Industry

Exporting the Very Best
The Young Witness (Australia), 8/17/2009

The truth is the man affectionately known to the town as ‘Jim’ is already an ambassador for Young, his product won first prize at the Ninth Asian Apiculture Conference Fair 2008 and he produces a product called Propolis, which is an antibiotic made by bees.

It is a resinous substance obtained by the insect from the tree buds and from some vegetables and used to coat the walls of the beehive to keep it free from bacteria. In the health industry it is purported to be a fungicide, anaesthetic and have healing properties and be used as a complement of antibiotics.

The current market value for Propolis in China alone is $40 million per annum and Mr Zou said that has the potential to be 10 times larger in five years time and there is a very strong global market for the product.

“It has the potential to be a very lucrative industry for all bee-keepers in Australia,” said Mr Zou…

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