A year before, at this time, Bhutanese vegetable market used to be flooded with imported vegetables. This year, local vegetables are replacing the imported ones, even if it means in small scales.
The step towards self-sufficiency in vegetable production is being taken to bring down the outflow of Indian Rupee.
Last week, 35 metric tons of local vegetables were brought to the Centenary Farmers Market in Thimphu from across the country.
Another consignment from Sarpang was also brought to the capital by a private company known as Fresh Veg. They brought over 3,000 kilograms of cabbage and about 250 kg of beans.
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Vegetable business will become lucrative in the future.”
Passang Rigsel Dorji
Creative Director,
Fresh Veg
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The Creative Director of Fresh Veg, Passang Rigsel Dorji, said vegetable business will become lucrative in the future. “There are so many other gewogs who will be producing different varieties of vegetables and our vegetables are organic which will attract buyers,” he said.
Another consignment of vegetable arrived in Thimphu from Samtse Dzongkhag yesterday. They brought in about 1,400 kilogram of cabbages.
One of the vegetable vendors, Anil Ghalley, said if this week’s business proves beneficial, he will bring in another consignment in within the winter season.
Many local people BBS spoke to are happy with fresh organic vegetables the market has to offer.
Difficult marketing
The seeds sown some three months ago under the winter vegetable production program in Sarpang Dzongkhag are beginning to bear fruit. But the farmers are facing difficulty in marketing the product.
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Nu.676.47 million worth of vegetable and fruit imported in 2010
Over 80 metric tons of vegetables imported from India last week resulting in an outflow of 2.1 million rupee
Annually, on an average, centenary farmers market in Thimphu gets 5000 metric tons of vegetable amounting to Nu.83 million
Weekly consumption comes up to 208 metric tons amounting to Nu.3 Million
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Our reporter, Eshori Gurung, who visited Serzhong Gewog, said the farmers are still finding it difficult to capture markets. According to the farmers, it is difficult to compete against imported vegetables with cheaper rates.
A farmer’s group of Serzhong, Dejung Sonam Dechen, plant vegetables on eight acres of land. They could harvest 1000 kilograms of beans and bring it to Thimphu where a kilogram fetched Nu.19. “After paying for the transport, the remaining amount did not even make up for the labour cost,” said Dejung Sonam Dechen’s Tshogpa, Pema Tshewang. He said they were told that the government will buy everything they produce. “But now they are not buying.”
According to the farmers group, a meeting with the wholesalers of the Centenary Farmer’s Market in Thimphu last week, did not help them much.
