The International Day of Co-operatives was celebrated in Paro on July 6th. The Annual Best Farmer Groups and Co-operatives Awards was awarded to three cooperatives amongst 73 co-operatives and 511 farmers group registered under the Cooperative Act of Bhutan.
The award, according to the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Co-operative is to encourage Bhutanese into opting co-operative jobs and to create awareness on co-operatives.
With 51% of Bhutanese workforce still into agriculture, the cooperatives and farmers groups in Bhutan have proved a sustainable source of income and employment opportunities.
Amongst which three best co-operative award winners are Sarpang Layer Cooperative, Norbugang Zambakha Milk Group from Pema Gatshel and Gorgoen Yargay Chithuen Group from Wangdue.
“Our product is egg and there are around 64 members. We have been selling our products to Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Wangdue, Trongsa, Gelegphu and Sarpang. And this has employed quite a number of youths and Farmers,” said Nima Lama, the Chairperson for Sarpang Layer Co-operative in Sarpang.
“We make cheese and butter out of milk and supply it to Thimphu, Pangbang and Nganglam. In a day, we use around 750 to 800 litres of milk. This has benefitted the people a lot. We make more than Nu 35,000 in a day,” added Samdrup Dorji, the Chairperson for Norbugang Zambakha Milk Group in Pemagatsel.
“In my village, almost all are members of this group and it has helped the members with school expenses and household expenses. Depending on our effort and capability, we are paid monthly and this has come in handy whenever we are in need of money,” Kinley Zam, the Chairperson for Gorgoen Yargay Chithuen Group in Wangdue, said.
This is the first time the co-operatives or farmers group are recognized and according to the department, it is going to be an annual programme.
The International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on first Saturday of July since 1923 and this year, it was celebrated with the theme, “COOPS 4 Decent works”. As an associate member of the International Cooperative Alliance, Bhutan has been observing International Day of Cooperatives (IDC) since 2011.
According to the UN, the recent estimate shows that the cooperatives around the world employ or are the main source of income for more than 279 M people.
