Lhamoi Dzingkha Gewog in Dagana is a place famous for Areca nut. One can find its trees growing in abundance and, it is the key source of income for the people there.
Every household in Lhamoi Dzingkha owns areca nut orchards. For this season, they are almost done harvesting. It is sold to Indian merchants across the border for Nu 30 per kilogram.
“In the past, we didn’t know growing areca nut was a lucrative business. It’s been about 20 years since we started its plantation and today, it has changed our lives. We all depend on its income for sustenance,” said one of the farmers, Deo Raj Pradhan. “On an average, a person earns one to two hundred thousand ngultrum in a year.”
Other areca nut farmers also told BBS News about the fruit being the prime source of income for them. “From meeting our daily expenses to buying children’s school uniform and all, we depend on the income from areca nut sale. We don’t have any other source of income here. We therefore have to take good care of it,” said Dilli Ram Adhikari.
For now, the only challenge is getting enough water for areca nut plants. Farmers say, the plants need a lot of water to give good yield.
Meanwhile, considering the high dependency on the nut, the gewog agriculture office is planning to train the locals on producing various areca nut products.
Today, there are over 40 thousand areca nut trees in Lhamoi Dzingkha gewog.
