About four years ago, people of Chung-kha and Bang-teykha village decided to cultivate beans in large quantity. Today, villagers feel they couldn’t have decided any better as they reap immense benefits from growing beans. Beans have now become their main cash crop.
Dhendup, 29, owns 1.8 acres land where he cultivates beans. He harvests his produce twice in a year. This fetches him at least Nu. 50,000 to earn himself and his family a good living.
“With the income from beans farming, I have been able to build my house and also meet the expenses of my school going children.”
Like him, beans cultivation has changed the socio-economic conditions of 14 others under the beans farming cooperative.
Farmers in these two villages grow beans in over 20 acres of land. The produce is supplied mainly to Thimphu and some to Phuentsholing. Their first harvest for this year was 53 metric tonnes, which earned them about Nu. one million. On an average they harvested their produce five times, twice a year.
However, farmers feel the yield could get better with proper land management and good fencing to keep away wild animals from the crop. “Since most of our land are on a slope we have to do the works manually. There are only few lands where oxen can plough through,” said Tashi Dorji, Bongo Gup.
To this the officials from the agriculture department who recently visited the area agreed to study the feasibility of using electric fences and provide them along with power tillers. The officials were impressed by the villagers’ hard work.
