Tshering Namgyal  | Mongar

Dairy farmers of Ngatshang and Chaskhar gewogs in Mongar ended their decades-old marketing problem a few months ago when they drew a contract with Koufuku, an FDI company based in Chenery, Trashigang.

Every day, the company collected more than 1,000 litres of milk from the dairy farmers groups of the two gewogs.

However, with the beginning of nationwide lockdown, they went back to producing butter and cheese at their homes. They sell their products in the locality and send the surplus to Mongar.

The sector distributed 2,046 balls of cheese, 211.5kg of butter, 624 litres of

milk and 1,404 trays of eggs in the gewogs. The farmers sold 4,041 balls of cheese,

551kg of butter and 486 trays of eggs to Mongar town residents.

The surplus of 1,047kg of cheese and 711kg of butter was sent to Bhutan Livestock Development Corporation Limited (BLDC) in Thimphu on August 25.

The dzongkhag livestock sector in collaboration with the regional agriculture and marketing co-operative (RAMCO) facilitates marketing for the dairy farmers.

The food supply and delivery team of Covid-19 task force collected their products from farmers in Shermuhung gewog and the nine dairy farmers groups in Mongar gewog. The milk processing unit that bought milk from the groups remains shut due to the lockdown.

Assistant district livestock development officer, Norbu Tshering, said 3,784 balls of cheese, 93kg of butter and 1,127 trays of eggs were still in stock in gewogs.

Meanwhile, Lhuentse dzongkhag has also collected 1,113 balls of cheese and 125kg of butter from Khoma gewog and LUC in Gulibi, Minjey gewog. The products were sent to BLDC along with those from Mongar.

A surplus of 70 cartons of eggs has been sent to Nganglam yesterday and planning to send another 60 cartoons today. Lhuentse dzongkhag delivered around 40 cartons of eggs within the dzongkhag.