Tshering Namgyal | Mongar

A youth group in Mongar is banking on poultry farm to help them survive.

Initially formed by 18 youth, who took a 16-acre farmland in Nyamey, few kilometres away from Yadi town, through the land use certificate (LUC) programme, the group inaugurated their project in April 2018.

 It took the group almost a year to make the land arable. They terraced the area, added topsoil from Korilla pass on the red soil for land management. People’s Project helped the youth construct a single unit quarter on the farmland connected with feeder road.

LUC farm in its initial stage

 However, the number of members dropped to three after some left for other jobs and other reasons. The group leader, Kinzang Gyaltshen, a class XII graduate, continued to work.

 Last year, the youth group cultivated vegetables like chillies, cabbage, garlic, spinach and potatoes in small scale and earned an income of about Nu 10,000.

 This year, they have expanded their area and cultivated peas in eight acres and potatoes in two acres of land. 

 The youth group aspires to generate more income this year and in the upcoming years through intensive farming.

Meanwhile, the group also runs a poultry farm with 700 birds of which 600 are layers. They started the farm in April last year and until now it helped the group survive.

 Kinzang Gyeltshen said they have been sustaining mainly from poultry, as they could not earn much from farm products. Five members joined the group this year.

 A member, Rinchen, 21, said the farm is the right place to fulfil his dream of becoming an agriculture entrepreneur. 

 He said he joined the group when he was searching for private land to pursue large scale vegetable plantation after a 15-day entrepreneurship training in Mongar. “I was looking for a parcel of land at Khalangzi, Mongar, with a group of friends to do commercial vegetable farming when the dzongkhag focal person shared about the opportunity.”

 The group plans to expand the business with 6,000 chicks, start a dairy farm with four jersey cows for commercial and manure purpose. They are also planning to start a fishery with two ponds.

 “We have submitted the proposals to the dzongkhag focal persons and we’re hoping it gets approved soon,” Kinzang Gyeltshen said.

 The youth group, along with other farmers’ group, signed an agreement with Yadi central school to sell their agriculture, dairy and poultry products. “Marketing is not an issue,” Kinzang Gyeltshen said.