The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a shadow over Yurung Gewog’s cardamom sale prospects in Pema Gatshel. It is normally supplied to Phuentshogling at this time of the year. But with restrictions to the market access due to the high-risk status of Phuentshogling, cardamom growers are saddled with unsold stocks.
Locals of Khangma chiwog under Yurung gewog have been making good cash from the sale of the spice since 2015. But the ongoing pandemic has impacted the cardamom growers in the gewog.
“This year we are just idle. Actually, by this time of the year, most of us take the spice to Phuntsholing and some sell it from here. Some are saying that the gewog administration will collect our products while some are saying the vendors will come here. If we are to take cardamom to Phuntsholing by ourselves, then it’s going to be a lengthy process. The money that we get from its sale will hardly be enough to make up for the transportation costs. We are confused as to what’s happening and what will happen next,” said a farmer of Yurung Gewog, Ugyen Dorji.
“Cardamom sale season is almost over now. We don’t have another source to earn money. Selling cardamom has been the only source of income for us. We are worried that our hard work along with the spice will go to waste,” said Karma Yangki, one of the farmers in the gewog.
“Due to this global pandemic, our cardamoms are left unsold even today. We urge the government to find a way to support us by selling our products to the vendors. Market access is very important to us. When we don’t have a place to sell our products, our livelihood is at stake. If we choose to borrow money from others, we have to bear the interest and it is going to be a problem for us later,” remarked Lhatu, another farmer.
Meanwhile, the Dzongkhag Agriculture Sector has collected a list of the products harvested in the gewog and submitted to the office of the Regional Agriculture Marketing and Cooperatives (RAMCO) in Monggar and Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited (FCBL) in Samdrup Jongkhar. The Dzongkhag Agriculture officials said they have consulted the two offices to address the issue.
Tashi Phuntsho, the Dzongkhag Agriculture Officer said, “Now RAMCO and FCBL have created two opportunities to sell the farmers’ product. Firstly, there are traders and vendors in Samdrup Jongkhar and Nganglam to contact the farmers. And secondly, FCBL has their farm shops in the gewog and there are plans to buy the products through them.”
The Dzongkhag Agriculture Sector will circulate the numbers of the interested vendors to the farmers as soon as they get confirmation from the RAMCO office. Pema Gatshel harvested more than 22,000 kilograms of cardamom this year. Similarly, Khangma chiwog alone harvested over 4,000 kilograms of cardamom this year.
Thinley Dorji, PemaGatshel
