Ornamental indoor and outdoor plants are making their way into most Bhutanese homes of late. Houseplants liven up rooms, purify the air and effortlessly provide homes with positive energy. Capitalising on the surge in popularity of gardening among Bhutanese homemakers, Sangbaykha Dungkhag in Haa is exploring floriculture as a viable business for the community’s youth. Currently, the Dungkhag office is raising plant saplings within the office premises. If things go as planned, the dungkhag plans to hand over the floriculture venture to youth and provide them with the necessary technical support and resources to make it an enterprising and fully-fledged business.
Around 40 varieties of indoor and outdoor plants, both flowering and non-flowering, are being raised at the Sangbaykha Dungkhag office premises. Some of these plants are the most sought varieties and fetch good prices in the market.
The plants are currently being taken care of by the dungkhag officials during their free time.
“This is in line with our plan to develop horticulture in the district as a whole. We have included it in the upcoming 13th Five-Year Plan and we have also proposed a budget for it. After venturing into floriculture for a few months, we are now convinced that this avenue will be successful,” said Kelzang Jamtsho, officiating Dungpa of Sangbaykha Dungkhag.
If it is a success, the dungkhag plans to invite interested youth to carry forward the venture on a larger scale.
For now, the officials have identified Haa Throm as one of their primary and potential markets.
“The dungkhag officials cannot continue for long. So, as per our primary objective, we will hand over to the youth in the villages after we set up a proper farm,” added the officiating dungpa.
It will be the first floriculture enterprise in Haa as currently, none of the people in the district pursues floriculture for commercial purposes.
Sangbaykha Dungkhag is located at an elevation of approximately 1,000 meters above sea level and receives, on average, over 2000 millimetres of rainfall annually.
Namgay Wangchuk, Haa
Edited by Phub Gyem
