'Reef Saudi' Celebrates World Bee Day with Notable Achievements in Saudi Honey Sector

On World Bee Day, the program revealed that the Kingdom's honey production in the previous year reached 3,120 tons - SPA
On World Bee Day, the program revealed that the Kingdom's honey production in the previous year reached 3,120 tons - SPA
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'Reef Saudi' Celebrates World Bee Day with Notable Achievements in Saudi Honey Sector

On World Bee Day, the program revealed that the Kingdom's honey production in the previous year reached 3,120 tons - SPA
On World Bee Day, the program revealed that the Kingdom's honey production in the previous year reached 3,120 tons - SPA

The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program "Reef Saudi" has announced significant achievements in supporting the honey sector. Since 2020, the program has provided a total of SAR140 million in support to the sector, benefiting approximately 10,584 individuals across all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The regions of Asir, Hail, Makkah, and Al-Baha have been among the primary beneficiaries of this support, according to SPA.
On World Bee Day, the program revealed that the Kingdom's honey production in the previous year reached 3,120 tons, marking a 41% increase from 2021. The program aims to raise production to 7,500 tons annually by 2026, demonstrating its commitment to achieving self-sufficiency in honey production.
The program has also expressed support for various essential projects in the honey sector, including the establishment of queen bee breeding and package production stations in areas such as Hail, Najran, Jazan, Madinah, Tabuk, and Taif.

Additionally, it has supplied three mobile laboratories for examining and diagnosing bee diseases and pests in quarantine stations, along with four mobile clinics equipped for this purpose (Phase 2). Moreover, the program has provided modern beekeeping tools to promote advanced techniques among beekeepers.



World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
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World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)

After 80 years, a World War II sergeant killed in Germany has returned home to California.

On Thursday, community members lined the roads to honor US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport to a burial home in Riverside, California, The AP reported.

Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany, according to Honoring Our Fallen, an organization that provides support to families of fallen military and first responders.

One of the surviving crewmembers saw the plane was on fire, then fell in a steep dive before exploding on the ground. After the crash, German troops buried the remains of one soldier at a local cemetery, while the other six crewmembers, including Banta, were unaccounted for.

Banta was married and had four sisters and a brother. He joined the military because of his older brother Floyd Jack Banta, who searched for Donald Banta his whole life but passed away before he was found.

Donald Banta's niece was present at the planeside honors ceremony at the Ontario airport coordinated by Honoring Our Fallen.

The remains from the plane crash were initially recovered in 1952, but they could not be identified at the time and were buried in Belgium. Banta was accounted for Sept. 26, 2023, following efforts by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency within the US Department of Defense and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.