Farmers learn bookkeeping

24 July 2009

Eighteen people comprising key officials like chairpersons, accountants and secretaries of different farmers’ groups completed a five-day training programme on commercial bookkeeping on July 19.
Organized by the Regional Agriculture Marketing Services (RAMS) based in Mongar, the training in Pemagatshel was conducted by an SNV consultant. The participants included key management people from the Integrated Fruit Processing Plant, the Silo Group and Yalang Vegetable Group from Pemagatshel and the Dewathang Milk Marketing Group from Samdrup Jongkhar.
TB Tamang, an assistant marketing officer from RAMS, said that, while previous training programmes were on simple bookkeeping, this year’s training focused on commercial accounting. “This is more advanced than earlier training and more relevant for farmers’ cooperatives,” he said.
According to him, apart from programmes like this, RAMS also helps farmers in group formation up to the production level besides serving as a link between producers and consumers.
Tika Ram Sharma, the SNV consultant, said four groups of farmers took up proper bookkeeping based on their financial positions as practical exercise during the training. “This was to ensure that whatever they learnt was relevant and applicable to their areas of farm enterprise,” he said, adding that proper bookkeeping in any enterprise would ensure accountability and transparency.
Kinga Dechen, a livestock official who is closely associated with the Dewathang Milk Marketing Group, said maintaining proper book of accounts determined transparency which had the potency of either making or breaking a group. “With more than a hundred members producing about 400 litres of milk a day, for us the training was timely,” he said.
“I will now be switching from my own method of bookkeeping to the new commercial method,” said Tshering Chophel, the chairperson of the silo group, who was working on his balance sheet towards the closing day.
Chogyal Norbu, the chairperson of the Yalang Vegetable Group, could not do the exercise like others but he never missed any classes. He was bent on learning the concept and fundamental rules of accounting by listening.
The consultant said SNV had agreed to provide a set of printed ledgers and books to all the groups. This, he said, would ensure standard entry of transaction details. The consultant will visit each group in November this year to review the impact of the training and offer further support in their bookkeeping effort.

By Gyembo Namgyal

Ratings: 1 Star