To meet the local demand, Bhutan imports about 50,000 metric tons of rice on an average every year, which is more than 4,000 truckloads of rice approximately.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forests wants to change this. It is seeking to cut down the import of rice and other cereals by 25 percent in the current Five Year Plan. The move is part of the ministry’s initiative towards self-sufficiency in rice.
65% rice self-sufficiency
The Chief Agriculture Officer with the Department of Agriculture, Chhimi Rinzin says, for the 11th Five Year Plan (FYP), the ministry is actually targeting at 65 percent of rice self-sufficiency.
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“At present, we are at 52 percent, which is an improvement from last two years. In 2010, rice self-sufficiency was around 43-45 percent. Definitely, it is an increase,” he adds.
However, the question remains, is it possible to achieve the target? The Ministry is, nonetheless, optimistic as it says with the present investment they are making to increase rice production, it is but a modest target.
Measures to increase rice production
Farm mechanisation is one of the areas the ministry is working hard on to increase rice production.
Apart from farm mechanisation, the ministry of agriculture and forests is also looking into rearing high yield variety rice. At present, more than 15 rice varieties are grown across the country.
Building new irrigation channels and maintenance of old ones is another key activity being carried out to enhance rice production.
The Ministry with the Food Corporation of Bhutan is also working towards marketing the produce. Under this initiative, farmers can now directly sell rice to the food corporation in the country. It is expected to solve marketing woes of farmers.
The farmers are also provided with farm mechanization tools which have greatly reduced drudgery of farming. For now, the agriculture ministry is optimistic, but what remains to be seen is whether the ministry’s aim materialises.
