The Local Leaders of Paro, during the recent Dzongkhag Tshogdu, urged the Farm Machinery Corporation Limited (FMCL) to prepare machines ahead of this year’s paddy harvesting season. This request follows the district’s challenges in previous years, where a shortage of combine harvesters and frequent mechanical breakdowns disrupted the harvest. Combine harvester, a farm machine, is highly sought after by farmers in Paro due to their efficiency in paddy harvesting.
To ensure a smooth harvest this year, the Local Government members are requesting the FMCL officials to buy new machines and repair existing ones.
Last year, the FMCL deployed 21 combine harvesters for nine paddy-growing gewogs in the district. However, local leaders said that was inadequate.
Lunyi Gup Jamtsho said, “In Paro, we have a lot of wetland. When we face labour shortage, we have benefited from FMCL’s farm machinery. However, people are not fully content with their service due to limited machines.”
Lango Gup Gem Tshering said, “People had to worry about animals destroying their crops, and unpredicted weather. Therefore, when they have to work according to the weather conditions, everyone wants the machine at the same time.”
FMCL said they are expecting to receive 20 new combine harvesters before June this year.
An official said that they are hopeful that, this year, they will be deploying over 35 combine harvesters.
Kezang Namgay, Manager of FMCL, said, “We will get it from India. India is collaborating with Japan to manufacture combine harvesters under the project called Osaka-India. We have paid the advance and expecting the machines to arrive by May and June. Therefore, we are hopeful that this year, we will be able to provide better services as we will be deploying more machines.”
Each combine harvester will cost Nu 1.5 M.
Records with the FMCL show that in Paro, over 200 metric tonnes of paddy and eight metric tonnes of wheat were harvested using combine harvester.
If the machines arrive as planned, farmers in Paro can expect a hassle-free harvest this season.
Namgay Wangchuk, Paro
Edited by Tshering Zam
