With good quality and quantity of cabbages brought to Phuentsholing, farmers from Paro are making good income these days.

The farmers, who are auctioning their cabbages at the Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited (FCBL) auction yard, fetched Nu 450 to Nu 800 per bag of cabbage from the Indian traders. A bag contains about 30-40kg of cabbages.

A farmer from Jabana in Paro, Chapchu, said that he sold about 20 Boleros of cabbages since May this year. “The prices are good this year.”

He also said that he was able to fetch Nu 600 to Nu 800 a bag depending on the size and quality of the cabbages. He earned Nu 700,000 to 800,000 last year.

Farmers, who harvest cabbage twice a year, said the second harvest will be in autumn and they will sell until November.

A farmer, Tshering Gyem, from Jabana auctioned 70 bags of cabbages yesterday afternoon. She fetched Nu 645 a bag.

She said that the number of farmers bringing cabbages has increased. “With too much cabbage, prices had decreased as there were many options for Indian traders.”

Tshering Gyem said she has 300 bags of cabbages at home, which she wants to transport soon after she returns home.

FCBL’s complex manager, Ugyen Penjor, said that Jabana, Dawakha, and Zusephu are three major places in Paro where farmers grow cabbages commercially.

He said that while the quality and quantity is good this year, the auction rates are equally good.

The highest price a bag of cabbage fetched recently was Nu 1,070.

Meanwhile, figures shared by the FCBL complex revealed that total cabbages’ arrival at the auction yard was 721 metric tonnes (MT) between May and July this year. In the same period last year, about 667MT was brought for sale.

As of August, about 1,435MT of cabbage was auctioned at the yard last year. This year, 1,358MT cabbages were auctioned until August.

Rajesh Rai |  Phuentsholing