Passion combined with a business drive has made a farmer in Trashigang a successful horticulturalist today. Sixty one-year-old, Ngawang Samten, has been into horticulture for the last 15 years.
Ngawang Samten never went to school. But he always wanted to own something which he could truly call his own. And now, Ngawang Samten owns four acres of land in which he has planted pear and apple trees. He also cultivates varieties of vegetables like potato, cabbages and asparagus. Recently he planted around 400 hazelnut trees.
Ngawang Samten makes his living by selling vegetables and fruits in Khaling and Samdrup Jongkhar towns.
Besides fruits and vegetables, Ap Ngawang Samten is famous for his fruit saplings in Trashigang. He earns between Nu.50-100 for a sapling and has customers as far as Paro, Bumthang and Monggar.
“I hope to earn some profit this time to,” he says. However, according to him people buying sapling is decreasing. “So I planted fewer saplings this time.”
His 15 years of experience in this field has helped him learn more about horticulture. He has also undergone several trainings conducted by the Horticulture Research Centers.