Coinciding with the 112th National Day celebrations on Tuesday, Tsirang Dzongkhag Agriculture Sector held an exhibition of several value-added agricultural products.
Officials from the post-harvest unit in Dagana helped the Dzongkhag Agriculture Sector with value-addition services.
The products range from candies made from fruits and vegetables, varieties of beaten maize, chips made from banana and ground apple which are available in abundance in the district. The Dzongkhag intends to reduce farm produce going to waste through value-addition. The officials said due to lack of a proper market, people either waste their produce or feed them to their animals, especially during peak harvest season. The exhibition is thus aimed at encouraging farmers to practise value-addition and make the most of every production.
“We cannot simply let our products go to waste. We are targeting villagers and youth to take up such an initiative. It would substitute import of candies, chips and cookies from outside while creating job opportunities,” said Dorji Gyeltshen, the Dzongkhag Agriculture Officer.
Dzongkhag Agriculture Sector has plans to train youth, farmers and housewives on value addition and packaging. There are also plans to facilitate marketing by opening an outlet in Tsirang town where locals can sell their produce. The dzongkhag is currently developing a trademark design to standardize the products.
Namgay Wangchuk
