Walnut business has become an alternate source of cash income for the farmers of Bartsham in Trashigang. And it is the human-wildlife conflict which compelled the farmers to switch to walnut cultivation.
Bartsham gewog has the highest number of empty houses in the Dzongkhag. Fifty percent of the agricultural land has been left fallow due to human-wildlife conflict.
Those who have been left behind are looking for solutions to sustain their families. Walnut business is one of solutions.
Sonam Dendup, a farmer in Bartsham, started walnut cultivation four years ago. He said he earned more than Nu.22,000 by selling walnut last year. He said he hopes to earn more once the walnut saplings he has planted start bearing fruits.
Previously, the farmers harvested walnut only for self consumption. But as the business prospect grows, mote farmers are venturing into walnut cultivation. The farmers BBS spoke to said wild animals cannot destroy walnut trees like other crops. “We don’t have to guard walnut trees throughout the night,” said Sonam Dendup. He also said they earn more money by selling walnut than any other crops.
Famers sell their produce to the local dealers. The local dealers then take the produce to the markets in Trashigang and Thimphu.
