Farmers in Khar Gewog, Pema Gatshel, have begun producing cooking oil from their homegrown sunflowers. They are doing so using the machine the gewog provided them during the seed distribution last year. Farmers of the gewog started growing sunflowers on a larger scale since last year to enhance livelihoods and reduce dependence on imported cooking oil.
It is the first time that farmers of Labar-Khengzor chiwog in Khar Gewog are extracting cooking oil from sunflower seeds. Farmers say doing so with the help of a machine is even more gratifying.
“It is benefiting us a lot because we are now producing oil for consumption on our own. We can save the money we spend on buying cooking oil from shops,” said Tshering Chophel, who grows sunflowers in Labar Chiwog of Khar Gewog.
Labar-Khengzor Tshogpa Ugyen Namgay says the chiwog plans to expand cultivation by resuming farming on fallow land.
“Sunflowers grow well everywhere, so we see good potential for marketing too.”
“We are also thinking about supplying oil to the market. Some of us worry that the machine may not be able to produce in large quantities. Nonetheless, it is more than enough for personal consumption,” said Lungten Chedup, another farmer cultivating sunflower.
Around a hundred households in Khar Gewog grow sunflowers. They say its cultivation is less laborious, adding that wild animals do not pose any threat either. This has encouraged them to expand production, as long as the machine can bear the load of commercial extraction.
Thinley Dorji, Pema Gatshel
Edited by Phub Gyem
