The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Mongar is known for its significant maize cultivation, but in recent years, the district is experiencing a notable decrease in maize harvest due to monkeys and other wildlife damaging the crop.
Human-wildlife conflict is a major issue for the farmers, despite the government providing them with electric fencing to keep out the wildlife . A lack of highbred seedlings are also impacting these farmers.
A 47-year-old farmer that was born and raised in Mongar, Tsheringla, said that his original land in Chhaling is 12 kms away from his maize cultivation fields in Khalangji. He and his 50-year-old wife work hard on their one acre field to cultivate maize since this practice has been passed down through generations.
He bought chain-link fencing to protect his crops from wild animals, and hired laborers to install the fence with cement base, which cost him over Nu 400,000.
Last year, he incurred a heavy loss as half of the maize was destroyed by monkeys.
Tsheringla said, “I am really saddened and demotivated to continue the maize cultivation because of the constant wildlife conflict. Still, I travel 12kms away from my residence. I even built a temporary shed made of woods where me and my wife can hold night watch for monkeys since the fence cannot stop them. Though PWD had permitted us in constructing the temporary shed, the dzongkhag is telling us to dismantle it soon.”
Several farmers working on 3 acres of land near Tshering’s farmland have given up on maize cultivation which is their only source of livelihood.
A 36-year-old farmer, Deki Tshomo, shared that the production has really gone down. In the past they used to purchase highbred seedlings supplied by the government, but now, they have to purchase local seeds which are not growing or fruiting well.
She said, “Government started supplying highbred seedlings in 2014 which yielded better fruits. These highbred seeds were from India. However, now the government has started supplying highbred seeds from Yangtse, which are indeed better than our local seedlings but not as good as the ones from India.”
She also said that wild animals, such as wild boar, monkey, porcupine, deer and squirrel have really hindered the production.
Before, they had to pay Nu 1,400 to rent a gewog owned power tiller for a day, but now they have to pay Nu 2,755 per day, which is as same as renting from private powertiller owners.
She said that they usually cultivate maize twice, and sometimes thrice in a year on her 3 acre farm land in Thridangbi.
She started to cultivate maize in 2013 when the government provided the highbred seeds. However, her parents and grandparents have been cultivating maize since olden days mainly for maize grits (Kharang) as a staple diet, and also used for brewing alcohol.
She shared that the farmers are hopeful since the government, in recent meetings, said the farmers will be provided with chain-link fencing.
52-year-old Tshering Yangden with 3 children, is a sharecropper growing maize on 2-acre of field. After paying the landlord Nu 15,000 and maize grown on one acre, Tshering gets to keep the rest of the harvest.
However, one major hinderance is caused by the bird Red-Vented Bulbul that eat the saplings and damage the crop. She has been planting maize thrice in a row now after the bird ate almost half acre of maize. Even if the saplings sprout, wild boars, bears and other wild animals destroy them, leaving the farmers hopeless.
A 30-year-old farmer, Kezang Pelden, said that though the government provided them with a few electric fencing to save their crops from wild animals, these fences lasted only for two years.
“We are lucky since our field is situated in between other farmers’ fields, we receive less damage by wild animals.”
“When it comes to highbred seedling, each farmers used to receive only 3 packets which is less and we have to look for alternatives,” she added.
She stays with her husband in Chhaling gewog and they have been cultivating maize for almost 8 years now. They cultivate maize on their 90 decimal wetland, and they own 1 acre of dry land in Chhaling.
She shared that though the government provided them with urea to fertilize their soil, they are not using it, and rather prefer their chicken dung, a natural fertilizer.
They cultivate maize once in a year on a farm which is 12km away from their main land, and they cultivate maize twice a year on the main farm.
Maize cultivation season starts from December and continues till September the next year. Maize cultivation can be done twice a year on the same plot of land.
As per NSB Report 2021, maize, a vital cereal crop in the country, faced a decline in production.
Similarly, maize growers have significantly decreased, highlighting the need for support in sustaining agricultural practices. Also, in terms of area under maize cultivation, the harvest area for maize observed a drop in 2021.
