Pangkhar Previews Shortage of Medicines

People of the community fear if Goshing community and Dikala Project workers continue to visit Pangkhar’s Basic Health Unit (BHU), pretty soon, it will run short of supply.

Gewog Gup Rinchen Lungten said there would be shortage of medicine in future as government supply is proportionate to existing population and cannot suffice if people from other gewogs visit the same BHU.

“People from Goshing who reside along the borders of its gewog visit the BHU as their BHU is far away,” he said. In addition to that Dikala is the meeting point of Trong, Bardo and Goshing gewog.

People working under this project therefore prefer to go to Pangkhar BHU as it is nearby.

Till date Pangkhar with 155 household was prone to malaria diseases but it is now controlled and reduced.

(Thinley Wangmo)

 

Monsoon woes continue for farmers

Muddy roads and non-stop rain have become a serious problem for the people who have to commute to places beyond the gewog to sell their crops.

The roads which have become excessively muddy prevent the businessmen who usually indulge in continuous sale of potatoes. Moreover drains also have been washed away affecting them with high cost of transportation.

Some business commuters, who fear that their potatoes could rot, travel even at high prices which bring down the profit they could otherwise earn. Business for the community is more or less halted since people feel it won’t be profitable to do business with the high stakes.

Although the PWD people have started works to improve the area others parts still remain badly affected.

The people have urged the local authority to look into the matter and bring some changes to the area.

(Tashi Deki)

 

Poultry business gains popularity in Shari

Few farmers in Dopshari under Paro Dzongkhag have taken-up poultry farming as an occupation to generate additional income.  More than 330 households and around 20 farmers are now rearing poultry.

As of now, Shari farmers are mostly engaged in livestock and agriculture farming which earns them enough to sustain a livelihood.

Prem Giri, the gewog livestock official said farmers till now were not interested in the poultry business due to strong religious sentiments. ‘The community is still strictly against killing. Few farmers now in the business are those intending to go only for egg production,’ he added.

Aum Chencho, one of the poultry owners, is in the business since June 2011 with around 130 birds. She has taken up poultry farming as a part-time job and it has benefited her a lot.

She earns more than Nu 7000 in a month through the sale of eggs excluding the cost of feed and other expenses.

She said the poultry business is not only about going for meat; one can earn a good profit even through eggs.

Another farmer, Aum Bida who owns around 50 birds is in the business to produce eggs both for personal use as well as for sale.

The eggs are sold at Nu 130 per dozen to the nearby hotels and schools. Sometimes, they also market their eggs to Thimphu when there is a demand for the local eggs.

With the business on a climb, the poultry farmers are now successfully self-employed and this has also helped them to improve their nutritional value.

Shari is a gewog with five chiwogs.

(Tanden  Zangmo)