Despite achieving any convincing result in nut production so far, the Mountain Hazelnut Ventures is confident that farmers would soon reap benefits for their hard work in two to three years time. The company specifies the large-scale grafting programme, which is believed to help enable better fruiting.
The grafting programme was conducted in all orchards earlier this year across 18 districts after the company found that inadequate male pollenizer is affecting the fruiting of hazelnut trees.
The story of Mountain Hazelnuts in Bhutan so far is rather an uninspiring one. The company, which signed an agreement with the first democratically elected government in 2009 while starting the business, promised farmers of hazelnut trees bearing enough fruits within 3 to 4 years after plantation. However, this has not happened. The company is still struggling to see a big nut production. This has left farmers questioning the credibility of the company’s first advocacy programme, which assured farmers of a quicker outcome. The company is currently running at a loss and has invested more than Nu 1.4bn so far. However, the company says it has harvested about five truckloads of nuts this year, which will soon be exported.
“So far we haven’t made any significant revenue through the sale of hazelnuts. However, we are now hopeful of a big harvest in the next one to two years. Despite the challenges we are facing, we have collected more than 14 metric tons of nuts this year and we have made an arrangement to export them soon,” said Chenga Tshering (PhD), the Director for Mountain Hazelnut Ventures.
In an effort to revive interest amongst the farmers, the company conducted an advocacy programme since March this year in 86 major hazelnut growing gewogs. The programme ended last week with Chhoekhor Gewog in Bumthang. The company shared challenges such as improper management of hazelnut trees by the farmers and additional investment made in the grafting programme.
“In the past, we were sceptical about growing hazelnuts but I am very convinced about the success of the company in the future after attending the advocacy programme. The company shared the immense benefits of the trees and also said they would last for more than 100 years. I am now thinking of cultivating in about three acres of fallow land,” said Tashi Dorji, a farmer from Chamkhar in Bumthang.
“After the grafting programme was conducted in my orchard, I am hopeful of my trees bearing fruits from next year. I think the reason behind the waning interest in hazelnut cultivation amongst farmers is because the trees take a lot of time to bear fruits and moreover the fruiting isn’t great even after five years of the plantation,” Lepo, the Tshogpa for Dawathang_Dorjibi_Kashingtsawa chiwog under Chhoekhor in Bumthang, said.
“At the current price of about Nu 31 per kilogram for the nut, I think it is very low. But as the company says they are still making huge investments in the business, we have faith in them that the prices would be revised in the future. For the time being, I think the price is too less,” said Tashi, a farmer from Nangsiphel village under Chhoekhor Gewog.
Considering the lesser investment the farmers need to make as compared to other cash crops, the company said, farmers have a good share of profit.
“Whatever the people are claiming about the low price of the nuts is right if we see the crop as just another commercial crop. But after we did a detailed cost analysis, we found out that there is a profit of about 45% for the growers, as hazelnut cultivation doesn’t demand much investment by the farmers themselves. However, as we are just starting to recover our investments, we also agree to a certain point that the price is fairly low right now but in the future, it is certain that we will pay the price that the growers are expecting from us,” the Director for Mountain Hazelnut Ventures added.
Through the advocacy programme, the company also advocated on new support systems that are in place for the farmers such as an extensive orchard management training, installation of electric fencing and construction of irrigation tanks for hazelnut orchards on cost-sharing basis among others. During the 8-month long advocacy programme, the company said they were able to register over 1200 acres of new land for hazelnut cultivation.
Kipchu
