𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐱 𝐎𝐟 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬

…𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 41 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

By Yeshi Dolma

The nation’s agriculture sector tells a story of quiet toil, of garlic fields stretching across Bumthang, turmeric roots pulled from Pemagatshel hills, and dairy cattle grazing in the valleys of Tsirang. It is a sector that employs 41 percent of the population, making it the largest employer in the country.

And yet, its contribution to the economy remains modest- just 12.63 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). How can a sector with such a vast workforce generate so little economic output?
The newly released Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Census 2025 helps unravel this paradox, not through bold declarations, but through data that, when stitched together, paints a telling picture of structural inefficiencies, market gaps, and unrealized potential.

The core problem lies in low productivity. Across the country, thousands of growers tend to their crops, but their output remains modest. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2024, 5,893 pea growers produced just 276 metric tonnes (MT) of peas- that’s less than 50 kilograms per grower. More than 2,300 turmeric farmers yielded roughly 91 MT, averaging under 40 kilograms each. Similar trends appear across garlic, beetroot, coriander, and upland cereals.

Chief Agriculture Officer Rinzin Wangchuk highlighted the sector’s vulnerability to external shocks such as erratic weather and unstable markets, noting that the absence of steady income makes agriculture an unreliable livelihood for many. He explained that past investments focused more on infrastructure like farm roads, irrigation, GSB, and fencing, with relatively less emphasis on commodity development, research, and extension. Most farmers are smallholders farming out of necessity, with limited capital to invest in productivity-enhancing inputs.

Most farming remains subsistence-based. Farmers grow primarily for household use, selling only what remains- often without proper storage, market access, or pricing power. The census shows that many growers cultivate less than one acre, leaving little incentive to invest in improved seeds, irrigation, or mechanization.

Sonam Dema, a 38-year-old farmer in Zhemgang, has been growing maize and chillies on a half-acre plot for nearly a decade. “Even after working from dawn till dusk, there’s hardly any cash income. We sell what we can on weekends in the nearest town, but transport is expensive, and the price is never stable,” she said. “Last year, our chillies rotted before we could find a buyer.”

The low barrier to entry into farming has created pseudo-employment- a sector filled with individuals trying their luck without meaningful investment or long-term plans. With so many small-scale producers and no significant scale, collective bargaining or price control remains out of reach.
Geographic realities compound the issue. The country’s rugged terrain continues to isolate producers, raising transport costs and undermining access to larger markets. While state-owned firms like Bhutan Post and FCBL were tasked with bridging logistical gaps, results remain underwhelming.

Despite a 4.92 percent increase in total cereal production- reaching 72,177 MT in 2024- productivity remains highly uneven across districts. Punakha, Paro, and Monggar led cereal output. In contrast, others contributed relatively little. Chilli, grown by 40,905 households, highlights this imbalance. Trashigang harvested 740.54 MT, while Gasa produced only 14.60 MT. Ginger saw a total production of 3,386 MT, up from 2023 due to an additional 147 acres of harvested area. Yet Thimphu recorded zero growers, and Paro only one- producing just 0.01 MT.

Mandarin production fell by 340 MT compared to 2023 despite an increase in growers. Dagana topped the list with 4,712.5 MT, while Bumthang and Paro barely registered at all- with 0 and 0.04 MT respectively. Milk production also mirrored this disparity. Trashigang produced 6,677 MT, while Gasa and Thimphu recorded just 428 MT and 1,079 MT, respectively.

In 2024, the country produced 1,271 MT of beef, 141 MT of yak meat, 8 MT of buffalo meat, 1,556 MT of pork, 19 MT of mutton, 210 MT of chevon, and 58 MT of fish. Pork production dominated in Tsirang, Dagana, and Wangdue Phodrang. Chicken production was concentrated in Samtse, Chhukha, and Sarpang, while yak meat remained limited to Gasa and Thimphu.

Egg production exceeded 98 million in 2024. But three districts- Sarpang (22%), Tsirang (21%), and Samtse (15%)- accounted for nearly 60 percent of the national total. At the bottom were Trashi Yangtse (0.33%) and Gasa (0.11%).
Even in high-performing districts, farmers often lose value due to poor infrastructure. Cold storage and grading facilities are lacking. A garlic farmer in Monggar may produce a healthy crop but be forced to sell at low prices due to gluts. In Pemagatshel, turmeric growers face challenges in packaging and finding buyers.

Tshering Tobgay, a young turmeric farmer in Pemagatshel, said he recently began growing turmeric organically but struggled to move beyond the district. “There are no drying machines or proper packaging options. Even if we grow good quality crops, it ends up being sold cheaply- or worse, wasted,” he said.
Without reliable market integration, farmers continue to be price takers- not price makers- keeping the sector’s GDP contribution disproportionately low.

Upland crop production declined by 23.56 percent, from 241.36 MT in 2023 to 184.51 MT in 2024. With most farming rain-fed, unpredictable weather patterns threaten yields and livelihoods. While interventions like digital weather forecasting and climate-smart training are being introduced, large-scale uptake is still a work in progress.

Historically, government support focused on subsidizing inputs- such as seeds and fertilizers- without guaranteeing viable prices for output. The recent price guarantee scheme aims to fix this imbalance by offering farmers higher rates and consumers lower prices, with the government bridging the gap. But implementation remains slow.

“Bhutan’s agriculture sector remains economically weak despite high engagement due to several structural issues,” said an economist. “The low barrier to entry has created widespread pseudo-employment, and most producers are too small to influence prices. With poor logistics and limited value chains, government support often fails to translate into viable returns. Without better incentives and output-based policies, there’s little reason for farmers to remain in the business.”

Amid these challenges, small signs of transformation are visible. Youth cooperatives in Tsirang are rejuvenating ginger and cardamom farming. Women’s groups in Lhuentse are processing beetroot and garlic. Organic turmeric from Pemagatshel and honey from Bumthang are gaining niche market traction.

“These initiatives hint at what’s possible when farmers move beyond raw production to value addition,” said Tashi Wangmo, an agri-entrepreneur from Punakha. “We need to make farming profitable, not just survivable.”
The census does not reveal a failing sector- it reveals one restrained by policy inertia, uneven support, and chronic underinvestment. The workforce is there. The land is there. What’s missing is a system that rewards production, ensures access, and guarantees farmers a future.

Until then, the nation’s agriculture will remain a paradox of plenty- full fields with little to show for it in the economy.