𝐅𝐌𝐂𝐋 𝐀𝐠𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬

…𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚

By Lalit Gurung

The aggregation program launched by the Farm Machinery Corporation Limited (FMCL) targets 1,735 metric tonnes of essential crops which includes 1,000 metric tonnes of maize, 700 metric tonnes of paddy, 30 metric tonnes of wheat, and 5 metric tonnes of quinoa.

This initiative is playing a pivotal role in enhancing food security and supporting Bhutanese farmers and also aligns with the broader five-year target of aggregating approximately 73,000 metric tonnes of all priority crops. As part of the Price Guarantee Scheme (PGS), funded through the Economic Stimulus Plan (ESP), this initiative is a significant step toward ensuring a reliable domestic food supply while empowering farmers across Bhutan with better market access and fair pricing.

FMCL, which oversees the aggregation and distribution of crops, has set ambitious targets to consolidate the production of key crops, such as rice, wheat, quinoa, soybean, peanut, and maize. These crops will be aggregated through the corporation’s five regional offices located in Paro, Wangdue Phodrang, Bumthang, Trashigang, and Sarpang ensuring that farmers across every dzongkhag have access to the program’s benefits.

Yangchen Pelmo, Deputy General Manager (DGM) of FMCL said that, “The program was initiated to address the challenges of lack of market for the farmers.” This initiative helps provide a reliable market for farmers, enabling them to sell their products at fair prices, which is critical for the sustainability of agriculture in Bhutan. FMCL’s Aggregation Program is crucial for local farmers, as it ensures that they have access to a guaranteed market, thus reducing their dependency on intermediaries.

Lhap Tshering, a farmer from Guma Gewog, Punakha said “With FMCL buying my produce, I feel more secure about my income which has made a significant difference in my financial stability.”
The Aggregation Program follows a standard operating procedure to ensure transparency and fairness in the purchase process. However, the DGM highlighted challenges in regards to the program, that farmers sometimes struggle to bring their products to the collection points due to logistical constraints, especially in rural areas in the east. This issue has led to delays and disruptions in the aggregation process.

Although the program aims to meet the high demand for crops, product rejections have been a problem. The crops collected must meet specific quality standards and in some instances, products that do not match the required criteria have been rejected. This creates a gap in the total quantity of crops processed. As a result, the FMCL team has been working closely with farmers to educate them on the standards required for crop acceptance. Another challenge faced by FMCL is the renovation and procurement of machinery, which has temporarily halted certain processing activities.

At present, FMCL has only rice milling machines, which are undergoing renovation and awaiting operational readiness. The remaining processing machinery has been ordered from India but the completion of the warehouse and processing unit is still pending. These delays have resulted in an imbalance between the crops purchased and those processed, hindering FMCL’s ability to fully meet its crop aggregation target for this year.

The benefits of the program are evident in the positive feedback from farmers who have participated in the aggregation process. Tshering Lhaden, a farmer from Chokhor Gewog, Bumthang said, “I sold 800 kg of wheat to FMCL this year, which was a huge relief. I received Nu 77,000 which has helped me to earn income. She said that earlier they only used to produce wheat for self-consumption within the family.

To boost the production and address declining farming activities, the DGM said, “FMCL has taken a targets using 2500 acres of fallow land for agriculture production.” By cultivating in the fallow land, FMCL ensures that Bhutan’s agricultural sector can continue to grow and thrive, even in the face of challenges like limited crop yields.

FMCL is making steady progress towards its target of collecting 1,735 metric tonnes of crops. So far, the organization has collected 72 tonnes of paddy, 71 tonnes of maize and 20 tonnes of wheat across four of the five regional offices.
Collection efforts in the Samtenling region, Sarpang Dzongkhag, are expected to begin soon, further contributing to the overall collection. The collected crops will be sold to buyers like Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited and Karma Feeds in wholesale. The corporation will start collecting soyabean, quinoa and ground nut starting from next year.
The aggregation program was launched on November 7, this year.