B y DR. JAMES TEW Woosler, Ohio THE BURMESE BEEKEEPING PROJECT AT THE AGRICULTURAL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE THE AGRICULTURAL Technical In - stiture has recently had the priviledge o f working with th e Government o f Burma and the U.S. Department of State. A six month instructional program w a s initialed in March, 1980, that w as designed to in- struct Burman students i n fundamental an d advanced aspects of Apiculture. T h e 'basic instructional program consists of classwork, practical applications and tours of selected b ee operations in the midweslern and southern parts of the U.S. The Burmese government is actively attempting t o develop t h e nation's natural resources in many respects; one of which is beekeeping. Burma is part of the Golden Triangle, (Burma, Thailand, an d Laos). This is an area that is considered to be a major pro- ducer of opium which permeates many nations including t h e United States. Since Burma's basic re son fo r training beekeepers... t h e early 1970's, the Bu rm ese Gov ernment ha s been engaged in efforts t o supress il - licit drug traffic in its portion of the triangle . Under th e terms o f a 1974 agreement, the United States has provided t he Burmese Government over $ 30 million in anti-narcotics equipment (primarily helicopters a n d fixed-winged aircraft). Because much of the Golden Triangle opium is smuggled into t h e United States as heroin, Burmese use of this equipment in narcotics suppression is of direct benefit to the United States. Surprisingly, the opium poppy producer is not really very well paid for his efforts. The per capita income of Burma is $100.00. If a producer could be given any other means of earning a livelihood, poppy production would decline. This is Burma's basic reason f o r training beekeepers along with many other educational programs presently underway. Since t he beekeeping instructional pro- gram is unique in the United States, several B urman dignitaries visited th e Wooster campus during June 1980. They were accompanied by Mr. George Sherry, Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy, Rangoon, and Mr. John Lyle, United States Department of State. U Oh n Kyi, Deputy Minister o f Home a n d Religious Affairs, is the highest Burmese official ever received by the United States. T h e B urm an students, under t h e watchful eye of three different television cameras, as well as reporters, worked bees f or th e B urm a guests. Other beekeeping tours a n d demonstrations were also conducted. T he entire visit was a rewarding ex - perience for the bee program. T h e Burmese student program has gone very well a t ATI. It is hoped that training received by the Bu rmese students w p l play a part in the ultimate development o f a strong, productive beekeeping industry in Burma.D D r . James T e w talks with U Ohn Kyi, Deputy Minister o f Home a n d Religious Affairs. (Burm a) AUGUST 1980 , - - ;v - ' ' . • ' ' - 6