Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited (FCBL) in collaboration with Royal Securities Exchange of Bhutan Limited (RSEBL) and Enhanced Integrated Framework under Department of Trade, procured and installed two additional potato grading machines at the FCBL auction yard at Phuentsholing.

The machines, which cost Nu 9.3 million each, were procured to provide prompt delivery of the online auction services.

The CEO of FCBL, Naiten Wangchuk, said with e-Auction customers would not have to come to the yard and also help them fetch good price.

“Farmers need not have spent time to segregate the potatoes and also they will have diversity of choice of finding the buyer and get the payment as per the quality”, he added.

Last year, around Nu 17.3 million was made from the online aution.

However, around 90 percent of farmers still opt for the conventional auction.

Nima Dorji from Phobjikha said that with limited time, he opted for the online auction as no segregation was needed. The price fetched from online was better than conventional auction.

The potatoes should be dried and matured to proceed in the machine, but some farmers still bring wet and immature ones causing damage during the process.

CEO of RSEBL, Dorji Phuntsho, said e-Auction would help commercialize farm produce and standardize the quality to add value to trade online.

As for yesterday, the average price for red large potato was Nu 23.84 per kg, whereas online e-auction price for large potato was Nu 27 per kg.

FCBL hopes to replicate the same system at the production source and FCBL auction yards in Gelephu and Samdrupjongkhar.

Nim Dorji | Phuentsholing

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