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Poor mandarin yield worry farmers

4 February 2010

The farmers of Deorali Gewog in Lhamoizingkha Dungkhag are panicky as mandarin yield drastically dropped this season. Out of 278 households in the gewog, 86 households directly depend on mandarin while the rest depend on it as labourers, suppliers, contractors, transporters, and exporters. Owing to the slopy and rocky terrain, cultivating other crops in the gewog is almost impossible.

Most of the farmers are indebted to local grocers. They buy groceries on credit for the whole year and pay after the sale of mandarin. But this year, farmers are worried that they won’t be able to clear their credit and, therefore, can’t get new groceries. Since the farmers do not have other source of income, some of them have already started asking advance money from exporters and suppliers for the coming year.

Until a few years ago, Deorali produced more than 150 truckloads of mandarin and provided temporary jobs to hundreds of people. This year, the yield was less than 30 truckloads. Mandarin harvest starts in November and lasts for about four months. The farmers attribute the low yield to three citrus diseases and hailstorms at the time of flowering. L B Tamang, 80, of Highland Exports, however, said there were wind, rain and hailstorms in the past but they did not affect the yield as much as it did this year.

He invested Nu 3.5 million but incurred a loss of Nu 2 million. This season, he exported only 15 truckloads of mandarin. Labrang, a village that has over 60 acres of orange orchards, did not produce a single fruit this season. According to a farmer, the fruits started falling before maturing. Many farmers had sold the anticipated yield to the contractors and received money in advance.

The farmers said 80 percent of the fruits started falling before maturity in Homadeorali. K B Tamang of Bhutan Organic Export and Import invested Nu 4 million this year and claims to have incurred a huge loss.

Arithman Tamang, a farmer, said that, on average, he used to earn Nu 50,000 a year which was enough to buy basic necessities for a year. He said many farmers are worried about their livelihood because most of them have slopy land, which is not suitable for other crops.

Every year, Tularam Gurung from Balobas village would earn Nu 200,000 from 2,400 trees in his 12-acre orchard. But this year, he hardly earned Nu 80,000. Likewise, Chitray Gurung harvested only 40 pons (1 pon = 80 pieces) from his two-acre orchard. He sold the fruit at Nu 5,000 from which he paid Nu 4,000 to the caretaker. “2010 will be a difficult year for us. How do we send our children to school? How do we feed ourselves? How will we clear our dues with the shopkeepers?” he said.

L B Tamang said the government should find a solution to help farmers. “They should find a cure to the diseases or provide us with alternatives,” he said.

Deorali Gup Passang Sherpa said the authority concerned had been informed about the disease, which was first sighted three years ago, and RNR extension staff sprayed medicines. But farmers said it did not help.

According to Lhamoizingkha Dungpa Chindu Gyeltshen, the disease has affected the entire southern belt, and the government is aware of it. He said RNRRC is carrying out a study, and a solution is expected soon. Meanwhile, mandarin farmers in Chhukha and Samtse dzongkhags share the same woes.

By Rabi C Dahal

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Posted by Bhutan Observer · Filed Under Economy, News 

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