Farmers of Patshaling Gewog in Tsirang are doing a brisk business by venturing into seed production. They have been producing Chinese cabbage seeds since 2015 and exporting them to Japan.
Just from four households in the initial years, 50 households from three chiwogs of Patshaling Toe, Patshaling Mae and Thakhorling have ventured into seed production.
“It takes at least three years for cardamom plants to bear seeds but we can produce Chinese cabbage seeds once in every season. Its price per kilogram is also at par with cardamom. This is how an increasing number of farmers are taking up the seed production over the years,” said Tshering Wangdi, a farmer in Patshaling Gewog.
“Other cash crops and vegetables decay within a short period but the seed can be stored for a longer period. Seed production is not labour intensive since we don’t have to weed after sowing seed,” added Pema Dema Sherpa, another farmer.
Farmers grow seven different varieties of Chinese cabbage and turnip for seed production on about 15 acres of land. Farmers earn between Nu 50,000 to Nu 200,000 annually from seed production.
“Officials from the Bhutan Alpine Seeds collect the seeds from our doorstep and pay us fixed prices every year. Regular monitoring and support have encouraged us to continue producing the seed,” said Tshering Wangdi, a farmer.
“For cash crops and vegetables, we have to wait for orders for marketing. The Bhutan Alpine Seeds take all the seeds no matter how much we produce every season. So, I am also planning to produce more seeds next season,” said Pema Dema Sherpa.
Bhutan Alpine Seeds, a private seed company based in Paro, involved the farmers in seed production. The company signed a contract with the Japanese Seed Corporation in 2014. The company facilitates the delivery of seeds to and from Japan.
“The quality of seeds will determine the duration of our collaboration with farmers. We will continue working with them if farmers could produce good quality seeds like today. They should maintain seed originality and avoid seed contamination,” said the CEO of Bhutan Alpine Seeds, Jambay Dorji.
The company delivers two tons of seeds to Japan every year from the gewog. The company plans to go for hybrid seed production, which is produced by involving two different varieties of the same plant.
Pema Tshewang, Tsirang
Edited by Sonam Pem
