Radhi Gewog in Trashigang is known as the country’s rice bowl. The rice bowl however, is expecting a low yield this year. Inadequate rainfall and shortage of irrigation water have delayed the transplantation.
Yeshey Wangchuk is a farmer in Radhi. He says they finished paddy transplantation by fifth Bhutanese month last year. “This year, the sixth Bhutanese month is about to end and the transplantation is not complete.” Another farmer, Jonla, says they are 20 days late for the transplantation. Just like Yeshey Wangchuk and Jonla, the delay has worried many other farmers.
According to the agriculture officials, the delay will hamper rice production in the gewog. But the gewog administration believes it will be otherwise. Radhi Gup, Jigme Namgay, said people feel they are behind the schedule when they cannot finish transplantation before others. “And as far as I know there is no shortage of irrigation water in the gewog.”
But the farmers reiterate that the existing water is not enough to irrigate more than 400 acres of wet land in the gewog. Most of them depend on rainfall to irrigate their land.
The water shortage is expected to be solved, once the new four kilometre irrigation channel becomes operational.
Out of around 700 households, more than 600 households cultivate paddy in the gewog. Radhi Gewog alone produces more than 90 percent of Trashigang’s total rice production.
