Producing rice is said to be one of the toughest jobs. Although it fetches good price, farmers say, it involves a lot of hardship and endurance.
Therefore, to save the rice-growing farmers from the toil, a modern rice mill worth Nu.2.3mn, has been installed in Bajo in Wangdue Phodrang.
The Agriculture and Forests Minister, Yeshey Dorji, inaugurated the modern rice mill imported from China.
With this, the farmers in Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang can now sell their rice directly to the rice mill in Bajo, which opened on Saturday.
Farmers will earn a maximum of Nu.65 from a kilogram of rice.
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The rice mill also packages the product which will be supplied to different Food Corporation of Bhutan offices across the country.
“The actual capacity of the mill is one ton per hour. But while testing, it could thresh about 800 to 900 kilograms of rice in one hour,” says Dr. Yadunath Bajgai from the Research and Development Centre in Bajo.
The mill, which was handed over to the Food Corporation of Bhutan, is one of the three mills installed by the Department of Agriculture under the Rice Commercialisation Programme.
It is to help market domestic rice and to increase profitability of rice farmers in the country.