Farmers in Sephu Gewog in Wangdue Phodrang are requesting the government to set up an auction yard in their district or Thimphu. They say transporting and marketing the products to the auction yard in Phuentsholing is inconvenient and expensive.
Located at an altitude ranging from 2,600 to 3,500 meters above sea level, farmers in Rukubjee and Bumilog harvest cabbage at this time of the year. Most of the farmers there grow the crop on a commercial scale. However, transporting it to Phuentshogling which is almost 500 kilometres away is a major challenge.
“While transporting and selling the cabbage in Phuentsholing, we are sometimes left with only Nu 100 after paying for our expenses. So, we would be grateful if the government could create a market convenient to us,” said Gyem Dorji, a farmer in Bumilog.
“When we auction our products in Phuentshogling, we have to wait nearly a week to get our money. So, it is an additional expense,” added Tshering, from the same village.
However, it would be quite some time before their request can materialise. The Department of Agricultural Marketing and Co-operatives in an email response said there is no immediate plan to construct Auction Yards in Wangdue Phodrang and Thimphu.
The Department is also discouraging the cultivation of cabbage. It is instead encouraging the farmers to focus on crops with markets for both domestic and export.
Passang, Trongsa
Edited by Sonam
