In Trongsa, the vegetable and fruit vendors, and farmers are facing difficulty in storing surplus fruits and vegetables. Currently, the vendors say they buy limited quantities of farm produce so that they do not get damaged. Some also store fruits and vegetables at home. Vendors said it will be convenient if the town has a cold storage facility.
According to vegetable vendors, vegetables and fruits get damaged within no time. They said the situation becomes worse during summer due to hot weather. Vendors added that the problem can be solved if there is a cold storage facility.
“In summer, the products decay easily. We would be grateful if the government could give us a facility to preserve the products,” said Tshering, a vegetable vendor.
“We face problems during summer when the vegetables easily get rotten. If the government could look into the matter and come up with plans, it would benefit us,” said Tashi Dema, another vegetable vendor.
Even the district administration felt the need for a cold store facility to store surplus vegetables and fruits, especially for the farmers.
“We have a plan to bring such a facility in the 13th Five-Year-Plan. It will be for both vendors and farmers. It will solve the problems faced by the farmers. So, we have a plan to provide one facility to two Gewogs. For instance, Nubi and Tangsibji produce more chilli and we have a plan to provide a facility for them. We will plan for the remaining three Gewogs,” said Karma Wangchuk, Deputy Chief Agriculture Officer of Trongsa.
If the plan materialises, the farmers and vendors can sell the surplus vegetables and fruits when they are out of season without having to import.
Sonam Tshering, Trongsa
Edited by Tshering Zam
