The Bhutanese Leading the way.
In the quiet slopes of Rollong, Mongar’s Narang Gewog, mango trees planted years ago by parents and grandparents are doing more than bearing fruit, they are quietly transforming household incomes and local routines.
For 27-year-old Pema Dechen of Pangkhang village, the mango season is not just a few weeks of picking and selling; it is the most important time of the year. Together with her husband, she harvests the green-yellow fruits and sets up by the roadside along the Trashigang–Mongar highway, hoping to catch the passing trade.
On average, families like hers bring in about Nu 50,000 each season from selling local mangoes, and some even earning up to Nu 70,000 when the harvest is good. The price per kilogram ranges between Nu 70 and Nu 100, making every basketful worth the careful effort of climbing, plucking, and sorting.
It is not big money by national standards, but here, it makes a difference: covering expenses to buy school uniforms, daily essentials, and the quiet reassurance that comes with a cash crop. Some families go the extra mile, travelling to Trashigang and Trashi Yangtse to sell whatever they cannot sell by the roadside.
Beyond income, there is a sense of continuity. Many of these mango trees were planted decades ago, and now new saplings are going into the ground thanks to initiatives like the Million Fruit Tree Plantation Project. Farmers hope that the next generation will have even larger harvests.
The village’s efforts are not limited to mangoes. Beans, maize, and other vegetables fill baskets on non-mango days, keeping some cash flowing when the trees are between seasons. Last year, a new farm shed with toilets was built to help farmers sell in comfort, a small change that made a big difference, especially for women vendors spending hours by the highway.
Rollong is part of a larger story. Mongar district as a whole produced over 87 metric tonnes of mango last year, coming just behind Pema Gatshel and Dagana, according to the Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Census of Bhutan 2025. In Rollong alone, around 25 households collectively produce nearly 13 metric tonnes each year.
It is a modest harvest on paper, but for the people who climb ladders, haul sacks to the highway, and count every note at day’s end, these mangoes are more than fruit. They are the quiet backbone of everyday life and proof that in small mountain villages, even seasonal harvests can drive steady change.
