13 Dec 2017 | News

ICIMOD Provides Technical Support to Farmers during Agri-Flori Fair in Bhutan

Stemborers, insect larva and antropods that bore into plant stems, are among the many problems kiwi farmers face in Chukha district of Bhutan. Excessive fruit dropping is another major problem. A team including representatives from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) visited a kiwi farm in Wangkha farm site in Chuka to provide technical support to the farmers there.

The team interacted with a ten-member farmer group along with the owners of the Kiwi Development Farm when they visited the orchard. They talked to the farmers about the timely pruning, manuring, and watering of kiwi plants and provided information on how to overcome the stemborer problem.

The Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) organized the visit as part of the third International Agri-Flori Fair held in Thimphu from September 14–18. The theme this year was “agriculture for sustainable livelihoods”. Exhibitors from Bhutan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Thailand participated. Agricultural products and technologies, including tools, machinery, and information were showcased at the event.

0 mins Read

Kiwi farmers from the Wangkha kiwi farm site in Chukha district, Bhutan

ICIMOD shared a stall with the Bhutan Youth Cooperative (BYC) where they demonstrated bio-briquette technology and promoted the ICIMOD Knowledge Park virtual tour. The stall also featured informational material on kiwi farming, composting, rainbow trout farming, shitake mushroom cultivation, and beekeeping.

There were several publications from ICIMOD programmes such as the Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalaya (Himalica) initiative and the Kanchenjunga Landscape Initiative. Products such as cheese, butter, honey, chilly, and other vegetables from the Himalica pilot project site in Barshong, Tsirang district, were sold by BYC.

Many exhibition goers visited the ICIMOD stall to get technical information on kiwi orchard establishment, shitake mushroom cultivation, and bio-briquette technology. The Bhutanese Minister of Finance, Lyonpo Namgay Dorji inaugurated the four-day fair.