In Monggar, commercial lemon farming is a rare sight. However, a farmer from Neykhang village is changing that. Agriculture officials said he is the only farmer cultivating seedless lemons on a large scale besides growing other fruits.
36-year-old Ugyen Tshewang has around 115 seedless lemon trees in around one acre of land.
Before resigning, Ugyen worked as a driver with the agriculture ministry for 12 years.
He started growing grafted seedless lemon saplings in 2021.
This year he expects to harvest at least 100 kilogrammes.
A kilogramme of lemon fetched around 150-200 ngultrum last year.
The flowering and fruiting season start in spring and the fruits are ready for harvest towards September and October.
“If I allow the trees to bear more fruit, then it will hamper the trees’ growth. So, I plucked fruits and allowed the trees to grow well. This is the third year. ”
He said he started growing seedless lemons to reduce dependency on imported lemons and generate income by growing diverse fruits not found in the locality.
He plans to increase his plantation.
Besides lemon, he grows fruits such as avocados, dragon fruit, and kiwi, across three acres of land.
He acquired his fruit plantation and management skills from the Agriculture Research and Development Centre in Wengkhar in Monggar.
He fetches more than 100,000 ngultrum selling fruits annually.
According to NSB’s Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Census of Bhutan 2023, the country produced 139 metric tonnes of lemons and lime.
Sonam Darjay, Monggar
Edited by Tshering Zam
