Bhutan: Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck inaugurates Kurtoed Food Processing Unit

The opening of food processing unit will bring a change for farmers of Gangzur, Kurtoed, and nearby Gewogs in Lhuentse who get stressed when their surplus farm produce gets damaged due to a lack of proper storage facilities.

The food processing unit has various machines like dehydrating machine, grain mill, flour mill, oil expeller and packing machine. These machines will help farmers to have a longer shelf life for raw agricultural produce. Using these machines, the farmers can dry their vegetables and fruits, and grind flour.

The farmers will sell the products from the unit to visitors and residents. Sonam Lhamo, a resident, said that they can produce vegetables like broccoli and cabbage in the food processing unit, according to The Bhutan Live report.

"During the summer, the vegetables get damaged. Here, we can produce vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage. We have a vegetable group here, so we will collect and dry vegetables using various machines," The Bhutan Live quoted Sonam Lhamo as saying.

Tshering Bida, another resident, said, "We grow vegetables but they get spoiled. Rather than our vegetables getting spoiled, now I think this machine will help us to earn some income," The Bhutan Live reported.

Presently, a woman runs the Kurtoed Food Processing Unit. The food processing unit, constructed in collaboration with the Commercial Agriculture and Resilient Livelihoods Enhancement Programme (CARLEP) and the Tarayana Foundation plans to recruit youth in the future.

Sonam Jamtsho, a resident said, "Firstly, we are targeting the residents within our own district and the pilgrims visiting Singye Dzong and Rinchen Bumpa. If we produce more and cannot sell them, then we are planning to sell them in other districts," The Bhutan Live reported.

Notably, Bhutan's Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, who is on a visit to eastern part of the country, is monitoring the progress of Tarayana Foundation's activities. During the visit, Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck provided Tokha and Soelra to the people. (ANI)