Lhakpa Quendren

Zhemgang—In remote village of Berti in Zhemgang, 45-year-old Sonam Chophel is fighting hard to keep his smoked fish production business afloat—the last remaining venture of its kind in the district.

Despite seven years of operation, this local venture has struggled with a slew of challenges, ranging from production limitations to dwindling market demand.

He took over the business in 2017 from Bertey Capture Fishery group when it was poorly managed.

Zhemgang dzongkhag administration supported him with a smoker machine that could dry up to 20 kilogrammes of fish at a time, along with around 30,000 fish fingerlings. He also received training in smoked fish production from the dzongkhag’s livestock sector, which helped him perfect the smoking process.

During the initial days, the business showed promise, with orders for smoked fish mostly coming from within the dzongkhag. “In 2017, I took 20 kilogrammes of smoked fish to the food exhibition in Thimphu, where it sold out immediately.”

However, business slowed down over the years. And Sonam Chophel had to keep his plans of scaling up on hold due to market challenges. He currently operates on a demand-driven basis.

“For over a year now, the production has been limited to occasional orders from the dzongkhag, especially for events like the Bhutan Bird Festival,” said Sonam Chophel.

Currently, smoked fish from Berti is sold at Nu 350 per 500 grammes for pond fish and Nu 550 for local fish from Mangdechhu River. The prices are set by the dzongkhag livestock sector.

However, with local fishing in Mangdechhu restricted since last year, he is now forced to buy fish from outside suppliers who fish in the same river, further reducing his margins.

His two fish ponds, located near Mangdechhu, are frequently raided by river otters.

“The otters come in groups of 20 almost every night, and I often have to be at the ponds at night to keep them off,” he said. “I have even written to the Divisional Forest Office for help.”

With smoked fish business—once his main source of income—now no longer able to support his family, Sonam Chophel has shifted his focus to poultry farming.

Despite the setbacks, the dzongkhag administration plans to revitalise the Berti Capture Fishery Group and establish two new capture fisheries in Phangkhar and Goshing gewogs in the 13th Plan.

These efforts are part of a broader initiative to turn smoked fish into a high-value product from Zhemgang.

The dzongkhag’s principal livestock officer, Ugyen Lhendup, said that the livestock sector’s goal is to produce 4 metric tonnes of smoked dried fish annually, generating over Nu 4.8 million in revenue. All fishery farmers will be equipped with production technology.

“We plan to increase production through improved packaging, branding, and expanded market access. The product will also be available in other major markets, such as Thimphu,” Ugyen Lhendup said. With these measures in place, smoked fish could become a more sustainable and profitable business.

The dzongkhag administration also plans to fence the fish ponds with wire mesh to prevent otter raids. This initiative will be executed under the cost-sharing mechanism with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

The Berti Capture Fishery Group was initiated in 2016 by the dzongkhag administration in collaboration with the Regional Livestock Development Centre in Zhemgang and the National Centre for Riverine and Lake Fisheries in Haa to support community livelihood.

The capture fishery operates for a period of three years, which is subject to renewal. The group has completed two terms of operation, and is now in the process of renewing its contract with revised bylaws and a new management plan.

“In the previous group, the members were a mix of fishing farmers of various ages, with the majority being older individuals who had some reservations about fishing,” Ugyen Lhendup said.

The dzongkhag administration, in collaboration with the National Centre for Riverine and Lake Fisheries, will renew the contract for the group in the third week of November. This time the group will be fully operated by unemployed youth from the village.