Pemagatshel—Sangay Norzom, a 65-year-old farmer from Chokorling gewog in Nganglam, Pemagatshel, is a proud owner of a user-friendly mini-tiller, a machine that promises to ease years of backbreaking labour.
Some 416 mini-tillers distributed to farmers across six eastern districts
YK Poudel
Pemagatshel—Sangay Norzom, a 65-year-old farmer from Chokorling gewog in Nganglam, Pemagatshel, is a proud owner of a user-friendly mini-tiller, a machine that promises to ease years of backbreaking labour.
She is one of the 15 farmers in Nganglam Drungkhag to receive a user-friendly mini-tiller on June 7 under a cost-sharing initiative led by the Commercial Agriculture and Resilient Livelihoods Enhancement Programme (CARLEP).
The programme aims to sustainably raise incomes for smallholder farmers and reduce rural poverty by promoting climate-resilient, commercialised crop and livestock production integrated with national value chains and marketing systems.
To support this vision, CARLEP is working to transform Bhutan’s subsistence-based agriculture into a sustainable, market-driven sector, anchored in climate-smart practices, private sector engagement, and strengthened community capacity.
This week, a total of 54 mini-tillers were distributed to farmers in Pemagatshel Dzongkhag.
In all, 416 mini-tillers will be distributed across six eastern districts of Mongar, Lhuentse, Trashigang, Trashiyangtse, Samdrupjongkhar, and Pemagatshel as part of the government’s effort to mechanise agriculture and improve rural livelihoods.
Among the dzongkhags, the farmers of Trashiyangtse will be receiving 142 mini-tillers, 70 in Trashigang, 59 in Mongar, 54 in Pemagatshel, 49 in Samdrupjongkhar and 42 in Lhuentse.
Each mini-tiller, priced at Nu 40,789, was distributed under a 50:50 cost-sharing model and supplied by Agri Mart.
Farmers received hands-on demonstrations on how to safely operate the machines and were briefed on their labour-saving features.
Sangay Norzom said that working manually with spades was tiring and time-consuming in the past, but with the supply of mini-tillers, the effort and time required to complete the work will be reduced.
“I grow potato, beans, radish and onions but for self-consumption,” she said. “Now, this women-friendly tiller will help me to produce better and on time helping me produce more for sale.”
Though women-friendly mini-tillers were not originally part of CARLEP’s core components, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock approved their inclusion after recognising their potential to benefit female farmers in particular.
The programme director of CARLEP, Dorji Wangchuk, said that a proposal for 600 tillers was made, of which 416 have reached and will be provided to the farmers within this week.
“Following this project, the Agriculture Research and Development Centre (ARDC), Wengkhar is working on project IMPACT, aimed at bringing continued upscaling benefits to the existing beneficiaries along with assistance to the needy ones,” Dorji Wangchuk said.
At the official handing over ceremony at Nganglam Central School, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Younten Phuntsho, acknowledged the mounting challenges faced by Bhutan’s agricultural sector.
Lyonpo stressed the government’s concern on declining agricultural production over the years. “Challenges namely climate change, pests and disease, human-wildlife conflict, market and price, steep decline in work-force in the sector, and rising import over production are pressing issues.”
Farm mechanisation, he said, has become a must to encourage farmers to reduce the labour shortage issues along with proper distribution of ministry’s budget for better efficiency.
“Agriculture and livestock sector is the backbone of Bhutanese economy, on which over 40 percent of the Bhutanese are employed,” he said. “To ensure targets of the Ministry is met in the 13th plan, these sorts of assistance and cross-agency collaboration is crucial; crucial for achieving food-security, nutrition needs and national goals.”
Khandu, a 50-year-old farmer and Tshogpa of Norbugang chiwog, has already begun converting 70 decimals of his land into cultivable plots with CARLEP’s support. “The mini-tiller will enable my farmland to convert into a viable commercial land, reduce the labour force and time required to complete the work on time.”
For now, he has sown maize to make the land suitable and gain soil-nutrients, following which he will cultivate paddy the next month. “The smaller terraces have turned into favorable land with the assistance from CARLEP,” he said.
The CARLEP is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The Programme Management Office is located at ARDC, Wengkhar, Mongar. The project is scheduled to close formally by June next year after 10 years.
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