Quinoa cultivation getting popular in Chhukha

Cultivation of Quinoa, a cereal similar to buckwheat, is picking up in Chhukha.

To further promote the crop, a farmer’s field day was organised in Samphelling Gewog recently.

As a trial, Sukh Bahadur Rai started cultivating Quinoa in 2015 on a plot of land.


Happy with the harvest, he increased its cultivation on his entire field of about 40 decimals.

Sukh Bahadur says, compared to the previous crops he harvested, the cereal is more nutritious and profitable.

“At the market, we fetch in between Nu 35 and Nu 50 for a kilogram. But when it comes to government rate, even before we harvested, they agreed us to pay Nu 100 per kilogram. So I want to sell it to the government.”

Like Sukh Bahadur, 74 households of Samphelling, Darla, Chapcha and Geling Gewogs in Chhukha cultivate Quinoa.

The Research and Development Centre under the Department of Agriculture is targeting a hundred and twenty acres of Quinoa cultivation in the country this year.

National Quinoa Coordinator of the Agriculture Department, Tirtha Katwal said Quinoa is a nutritious cereal. He said they aim to enhance household food security and nutritional security.

“We are at present adjusting and adapting the technology with our country. We are currently working for nine varieties and we are identifying varieties for specific locations. Our plan is to go large scale cultivation of Quinoa.”

During the farmers’ field day, various products of Quinoa were demonstrated to the farmers. The cereal can be consumed by mixing with rice, made into porridge and even salad.

Quinoa was brought into the country in 2015 from Peru in South America.

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