Farmers of Bumthang are worried of a possibly poor potato harvest this year. An assessment by the Dzongkhag Agriculture Sector confirmed that the entire district have been hit by late blight.
The fungal infection has led to untimely wilting of potato plants affecting the maturity of tubers. Potato is the main cash crop for the farmers of Bumthang.
Tshewang Choden, 52, from Nobgang village of Chhoekhor Gewog planted about 3 acres of potato this year. But she is skeptical about a bountiful yield as her crop is not spared by the disease as well. “The yield is going to be poor this year compared to last year because of the disease,” she said. “I am worried that we won’t be able to pay off our loan.”
Potato growers in other villages also share similar opinion.
“It worries me a lot because the price of the fertilizer is increasing every year and the money we get from the sale of potato this year won’t be able to even meet the initial investment,” said Choden, a resident of Chamkhar.
The Dzongkhag Agriculture Officer says early rainfall and cloudy weather conditions have caused the disease. He also added that preventive measures such as uprooting the affected plants can prevent the disease from spreading. However, as the disease has already been spread across the district, farmers can only wait and see what their fields have to offer them this year.
