French beekeepers look to lockdown exit to sell bumper harvest

Beekeepers' bumper honey harvest

is cause for celebration

Location: Chantilly, France

Weeks of warm weather in this region

have brought what could be

their best season in four decades

But very few markets are still open

and keepers may have to wait

for lockdowns to loosen before they can sell

(SOUNDBITE) (French) BEE KEEPER, FRANCK PORTEFAIX SAYING:

"On the production side, we will have an excellent harvest, so we will have stocks when the lockdown ends, and when everything goes back to normal. We will get back to work, and these will be sold in any case, but this period is quite difficult."

A good honey harvest yields around 22lbs

Portefaix hopes his best performing hives

will produce around double that amount this spring