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Vegetable and fruit production increased slightly
YK Puddle
Data from the 2023 Comprehensive Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Census released by the National Bureau of Statistics yesterday showed that the country’s major grain output declined last year.
Bhutan has a total of approximately 69,008 agricultural farms, including 66,440 family farms and 2,568 commercial farms. This is an increase from 67,093 agricultural farms in 2022.
Total production of major cereals in 2023 was 68,786 metric tons, down 2% from 70,168 metric tons in the previous year.
The number of growers also drops from 22,138 in 2022 to 21,891 in 2023.
Punakha, Paro and Wangdu are the three dzongkhags with the highest cereal production, together accounting for 30% of the total production. Punakha alone produced 7,971 metric tons of cereals.
Last year’s rice production included 40,563 tons of irrigated rice and 241 tons of dryland rice, a slight decrease of 0.5% and 0.2% respectively compared with 2022.
Punakha Dzongkha harvested 7,761 metric tons of irrigated rice, although the output was slightly lower than the previous year. Paro Dzongkha’s irrigated rice output increased to 7,024 metric tons, an increase of 820 metric tons from 2022, while Wangdue’s output fell slightly to 4,449 metric tons.
Corn production is mainly concentrated in Tsongkhapa such as Trashigang, Mongar, Pemagaser and Chirang.
The country also produced 965.51 tons of buckwheat, 837.01 tons of wheat, 530.26 tons of millet, 518.13 tons of barley and 12.87 tons of quinoa.
Bhutanese farmers grow a variety of vegetables, with pumpkin, zucchini, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, broccoli and beans being the most popular vegetables in the country. Last year, Bhutan produced about 26,825 metric tons of vegetables, a slight increase from 26,726 metric tons in 2022.
Among oilseeds and pulses, mustard and soybean dominate. Production increased from 1,012.81 tonnes in 2022 to 1,092.21 tonnes in 2023, mainly due to the increase in harvested area.
Globally, oilseed production has increased due to improvements in agricultural techniques and modern technology.
In Bhutan, potatoes, cassava and applesauce are the main root vegetables. In 2023, the total root vegetable production was 38,327 metric tons, an increase of 6,768 metric tons from 2022. Wangud, Paro and Chukha Dzongkha are the main root vegetable producing areas.
Bhutan produces a variety of fruits and nuts. About 42,780 metric tons of fruits were harvested in 2023. Of this, 34,895 metric tons were major fruits such as apples, citrus and betel nuts, while 84 metric tons were newly promoted fruits such as watermelon, kiwi and dragon fruit.
Among all the dzongkhags, Paro County has the highest apple production, followed by Thimphu, Haa and Bumthang. Betel nut production is mainly concentrated in Sangzi, Sarpang and Dagana. Meanwhile, citrus production is mainly concentrated in Dagana, Qilang, Zemgang and six other dzongkhags.
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