Replication of #Godavari Technologies in Chukha District, #Bhutan

Below is an excerpt from Mr. Yeshi Dorji, Agricultural Officer of BCCI, Bhutan about the successful adoption of kiwi cultivation in Bhutan. Our #KnowledgePark contributed to this and this case serves as an example of our impact in our member countries.

“Kiwi fruit was one of the potential products identified under One-District Three Products (ODTP) in Bhutan. The cultivation of Kiwi fruit in Chukha district was one of the first pilot projects undertaken in 2015 under the ODTP program. ICIMOD had provided technical expertise as well as one time grant of ready-to-plant saplings.

Under the institutional cooperation with the BCCI, ICIMOD provided 200 saplings and one kilogram of seeds, which was used for establishing the Kiwifruit Demonstration Farm (KDF) at Wangkha and Chasilakha in Chukha district. Besides providing hands-on training on kiwi fruit cultivation and orchard management at the Knowledge Park at Godavari, a technical expert from ICIMOD helped to set up the KDF in Chukha.

While undertaking this task, a group of 20 farmers from the local community were also trained on soil preparation, standard plantation / sowing methods, applying manure and early plant care. The demonstration farms provided a platform for the interested kiwi fruit growers from across the country to learn about this high-value cash-crop and generated tremendous interests among the farmers to venture into kiwi fruit cultivation. Today, the movement has gone commercial and kiwi fruit cultivation has spread across the country in Bhutan.” – Mr. Yeshi Dorji, BCCI, Bhutan.

Following BCCI’s initiative in promoting commercial kiwi fruit production in Bhutan, overall cultivation and production of kiwi fruit has shown encouraging trends. Kiwi fruit has also found a spot in Bhutan’s renewable natural resources (RNR) statistics. According to RNR Census of Bhutan, as of 2019, there were 7,446 kiwi fruit plants owned by 296 kiwi fruit growers. The number of fruit-bearing plants counted in the same year was 836, which resulted in a total production of 2,850 kg of kiwi fruits.

In recent years, Bhutan has also seen a growing number of enterprises which is helping diversify kiwi fruits into value-added products, such as pickles, jams and dry fruit.

#KnowledgeTransfer #SuccessStory #HKH