This year alone, the farmers from Serthi gewog under Samdrup Jongkhar Dzongkhag covering 29HHs have produced 2.5MT of Rajma beans and it is soon to hit the Centenary Farmers Market (CFM) at Thimphu. Out of 2.5MT of Rajma beans, 0.1 MT has been already sold in the local market and 0.1MT has been marketed to Bhutan Cooperative (B-COOP) shop at Samdrup Jongkhar. After saving some kg for the seed, 1.5MT will be marketed to CFM at Thimphu.

In an effort to increase production resilience and diversification in agriculture, CARLEP-IFAD has supported agricultural inputs and related training to the smallholder farmers with technical support from implementing agencies. Through the intensification and expansion of vegetable production under the Market-led sustainable agricultural production program, 220 kg of Rajma bean seeds were supplied to the Serthi farmers with fund support from CARLEP-IFAD.  This intervention is aimed at increasing the returns to smallholder farmers through climate-resilient production of crops, thereby sustainably increase the income of smallholder farmers and alleviate rural poverty.

With fund support from CARLEP-IFAD to RAMCO, Mongar, the gewog has received support for packaging materials for the produces to be marketed. Along with the Rajma beans, 1.5MT of lentils, 1MT of maize grit (Kharang) and 0.2MT of the sweet bucket flour will be marketed to Thimphu in the first week of May 2020.

Information updates from Thinley Wangmo, ES, Serthi gewog and Sanga Choden, Sr.ES, Samdrup Jongkhar

Reported by: Chhimi Lhamo, GKMO, CARLEP