Bhutan will be harvesting its first hazelnuts, this year. The first batch of hazelnut trees were planted in 2008 under the Hazelnut project.
The Mountain Hazelnut venture has already planted more than 7,00,000 hazelnut trees in Bhutan. More than 2000 households in the eastern Dzongkhags, including Zhemgang and Bumthang are involved in the project. The first trees were planted in October 2008 in Rangzhikhar village in Trashigang. The company is quite happy about the outcome of the venture.
“We planted hazelnut trees in October 2008 on a trial basis in Rangzhikhar. The progress has been very good, and from this year, the trees began producing hazelnuts. It is a major achievement for the project and we are very happy,” said Kadola, the Hazelnut Regional Coordinator.
Ap Naku from Rangzhikhar is among the first farmers to plant hazelnut trees. Although skeptical when he first started, Ap Naku now shares he is happy with the success of the project.
“My hard work has finally paid off. My trees have started producing hazelnuts and I am very happy. I want to plant more hazelnut trees now as the company is providing tree saplings free of cost and delivering to our houses, so I want to make the most of this opportunity,” said Naku, who is a farmer.
The project, in the next three years, will be planting more than two million hazelnut trees. The company will be distributing hazelnut saplings free of cost to farmers says the Project’s Regional Coordinator.
Kadola said they started their project in Bumthang in 2013. “We are expecting to distribute at least one million trees, this year and between 2014 to 2016, the company is expecting to distribute two million hazelnut trees to farmers.”
The harvest, this year, will be a major milestone for the project. More farmers are expected to take to hazelnut cultivation with the initiative proving to be successful.
