Vegetable vendors in Gelegphu will now buy vegetables from the Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCB) and export to Assam. To start with, they agreed to export only four truckloads in a week. This is considering the small market in the neighbouring Indian towns of the state.
In the past, Farmers doing commercial farmings rush to the Phuentshogling auction yard to sell their vegetable during this time. But the pandemic has forced the closure of international borders and the government has started buying vegetable at the identified collection centre set up in the different region.
One such centre is Damchhu vegetable collection centre in Chhukha. The centre collected vegetables from the farmers last month and was supposed to supply in the local markets and Assam. The overwhelming quantities of vegetable could not be sold off easily. This led to many vegetables in stock going to waste.
“Last time we manage to sell three truckloads of cabbage to Assam. We could not prevent the vegetables from getting spoiled because it is perishable items. We have segregated best one from the rotten ones and supplied it to Desuups. The rotten ones are given to tshethar pigs,” said Ugyen Choedup, the Regional Manager for FCB in Gelegphu
So to avoid such incidents and help farmers market their produce, 25 vegetable vendors promised to buy vegetables from farmers and export to Assam. The FCB will bring the farm produce from other dzongkhags to Gelegphu and supply to the exporters. This was concluded during a consultative meeting the district Multi Taskforce held recently.
“Our market is the neighbouring border town of Assam. We cannot market in huge quantity because of places like Shillong has similar climatic conditions and produce enough vegetables around the same time. We have been able to sell so far because our vegetables are of better quality. And this year, we are looking at increasing the export quantity. Of course, we can only take around four truckloads of potatoes, 70 bags of cabbage, 30 bags of carrot and beetroots,” said Kezang Dendup, the Representative of Gelegphu Vegetable Vendors.
At the same time, to encourage Bhutanese to buy local farm products, the district administration also urged vendors to sell vegetables at a reasonable price.
Karma Wangdi
