Bhutanese cuisine is known for its spiciness and the diet remains incomplete without chillies. Taking advantage of this, a group of women from Tashi Yangtse are into producing chilli pickle locally known as Urka Bangla pickle. The group made around Nu 0.4 M from selling the pickle this year.
This, according to the farmers, is a good alternative to divert their produce from the flooding market. Normally the market used to be filled with chillies during the season and most of the farmers from Boomdeling and Yangtse Gewogs could hardly get a good return from the sale.
“Most of the farmers harvest and bring their chillies in the market at the same time where we face problem in selling and fetching good prices. And we are not able to dry our chillies due to the weather. So our Dzongkhag Agriculture Officer helped us in finding this alternative idea. We were also trained to produce the pickle,” said Tsewang Peldon, from Bimkhar.
Although the group was formed in 2016, they have been producing the pickle separately in their individual homes so far. Only recently they are seen working in a group after it was officially launched last year coinciding with the 111th National Day celebrations. Currently, they are processing the pickle in the Desho office building near Trashi Yangtse town area. The final product is sent to the One Gewog, One Product (OGOP) outlet in Thimphu.
“If we have a separate processing house, we would be able to maintain cleanliness and good hygiene while processing the pickle, now we are temporarily working in other’s office. It would be convenient if we have a separate house,” said Karma Kinzang Wangmo, the Chairperson of Urka Bangla Detshen.
Meanwhile, the Tashi Yangtse Dzongkhag Agricultural Officer said they have a plan to construct the processing plant and has allocated a budget of Nu 2.7 M.
Last year the group produced around 44 metric tonnes of Urka Bangla chillies and the value added to the product has benefited the farmers. It’s sold at Nu 220 per 550 grams jar.
Sonam Darjay
