The government’s ginger buyback scheme has received an overwhelming response from the farmers in Dorokha under Samtse. Farmers from the dungkhag sold over 82 tonnes, equivalent to six truckloads of ginger during the buyback, which lasted four days. The government initiated the buyback scheme considering the poor market situation for the product due to the pandemic.
The regular market price for ginger is at an all-time low. Some farmers sold their ginger at a meagre Nu 17 per kilogram before the buyback scheme was announced. With the buyback scheme, palm-sized ginger was bought by the Food Corporation of Bhutan at Nu 45 a kilogram. Similarly, decent sized ginger and ginger grown in black soil were purchased at Nu 35 and Nu 20 respectively.
It was a long wait for the farmers to sell their ginger. But despite the long wait, farmers are happy that they can sell their ginger amid the pandemic uncertainties.
“We were concerned about how we will market our ginger amid the pandemic. We are happy that the government is taking our produce. If we are to sell it directly to exporters, we get only about Nu 10, 12 or 17 per kilogram. Here, we are happy with the rate we get,” said Lodrup Lepcha, a farmer from Denchhukha Gewog in Samtse.
“When we export directly to India, we used to do two gradings, not three. Most people are not happy with the ginger being segregated into three grades. But it is okay. The grading system won’t incur much loss. It’s fine,” said Ari Desh Rai, a farmer from Dophuchhen Gewog in Samtse.
However, farmers were not happy about the deduction of two kilograms from each sack. According to the FCB, the deduction is to compensate for the weight of packing material, soil traces, and weight loss.
“They are deducting two kilograms per sack, and we are not happy about it. If we sell 40 sacks, then we are losing 80 kilograms, and that is a lot for us,” added Ari Desh Rai.
“It would have been okay if it was on the ‘mon’ system, but it applies directly to a sack. Some sacks will be small, so reducing two kilograms is a loss. A ‘mon’ is equal to 40 kilograms. So, to deduct a kilogram per mon is acceptable since there will be mud and pebbles with the load. But some sacks will be 20kgs and some 30kgs, so if two kilograms are directly deducted, it will be a loss for us,” said Buddha Maya, a farmer from Dophuchhen Gewog.
“If they deduct it from the bigger sacks, it’s fine; we have been doing that in the past. But we are incurring a loss on the smaller sacks. If it takes about five sacks to make 100 kilograms, we are losing about 10 kilograms,” added Lodrup Lepcha.
The dungkhag says the buyback scheme came at the right time since farmers would not sell their ginger at the current market price.
“They have a practice of burying ginger with soil to preserve it. That way, ginger can be preserved for up to two years. We tell them it’s better to sell than letting it rot, but the market price is about Nu 10 to 12. So, apart from a few who need money, most prefer to bury their ginger underground than sell it,” said Karma Jurmi, the Dorokha Dungpa.
Many farmers in Dorokha switched to ginger as their cash crop after cardamom prices came down drastically in the last few years.
Sherub Dorji, Samtse
