The Golden Eggs from India in Bhutanese Market

 

The Bhutanese Poultry Farmers are not happy ever since the government decided to import the eggs from India to ‘Address Shortage and to Lower Costs’ (Kuensel-January 11, 2022). The Mongar Poultry Farmers’ petition dismissal by the Court (BBS-February 15, 2022) is another blow to the farmers across the country.

Everyone knew the shortage was due to the contaminated Karma Feed affect and not from farmers’ end. They were not even fairly compensated and yet many innocent farmers kept silent. They digested their loss and still striving with their remaining lot at their farm house. While, our highly educated consumers and netizen were blunt and bold to blame the toiling illiterate farmers for overpriced tag. Some disguised politician in the fake face book page writes a humiliating and discouraging message to the farmers stating they will keep importing eggs till the price normalizes.

It is not the farmers who sky rocketed the price of local eggs but the covetous vendors or middleman who want to keep the hefty margin leaving poor farmers blamed. This is something every frustrated consumers and decision makers must have thought before putting a blame to the farmers. The interim measures to import the egg is sensible but farmers should know its interim so that they don’t get demotivated. Why our farmers are made to compete the Indian market price strategy when they are struggling to regain the production?

They can easily sustain their farm business at the minimum rate of Nu. 2,000 per cartoon at their ex-factory farm house outlet to maximum of Nu. 2,300 per cartoon which was recently fixed by the Bhutan Livestock Development Corporation Ltd. (BLDCL). The vendors are given Nu.150 per cartoon margin to reach Thimphu which becomes Nu. 2,450 per cartoon. Thus, the existing price per tray stands at Nu.350 while imported eggs cost Nu.320.  Earlier, the vendors use to keep Nu.300 or more per cartoon which led to the sky rocket price of local eggs. So, don’t blame the innocent farmers. We still have that Nu.300 per cartoon to play with the imported eggs price to bring it at par or even lower. I would still go with the local product giving Nu.30 extra over the imported for various reasons which may be lengthy to explain here.

The other sad reality would be still that above BLDC rate might be hiked by the sub-dealers and shopkeepers as many consumers in the remote areas are already paying as high as Nu.550 per tray for the imported eggs. So, did we really lower the price of local eggs by importing eggs? Now tell us who is sky rocketing the price? Our farmers don’t hike or fix price as they are happy to accept the price fixed by the BLDC. They don’t deceive or cheat you on price. Don’t forget that every Bhutanese is a son or daughter of the dedicated farmers and you been just in cities because of them. Every food on your table is the result of their sweat and blood. Don’t forget the root. Please, don’t blame them without knowing the background story. Be in their shoes and think for a second. This is called empathy. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is more important than Intelligent Quotient (IQ) to be a good leader.

Bhutanese poultry farmers can easily meet the market demand with good guidance from the concerned agencies and support from the consumers too. We already had achieved the egg self-sufficiency a decade ago in 2012 and is sad to know we are declining. We even exported the eggs after four years of self-sufficiency in 2016 (Kuensel-December 7, 2016). How long are we going to import for such essential goods which our farmers can easily make sufficient for small Bhutan? We have come a long way in this poultry business and many of us would be surprised to know that the Poultry Development Programme started in our country six decades ago in 1961 with the launch of First Five Year Plan. 

Sarpang and Tsirang use to be the most eggs producing dzongkhags in the country just six years ago which must be still holding its position. Today, Peljorling Chiwog alone has five poultry farms in almost each village with the total numbers of about 7,600 layers’ chicken. The Burichu has more numbers of farm house in almost all households. They have the poultry community among the farmers in Tsirang called Tsirang Smart Group (TSG) with about sixty-one members and similarly in Sarpang called Sarpang Layers Corporative (SLC). They have their vision for our small Nation like all of us in a small way. They are struggling and growing. They have their loans or debts against their farm.

The fellow farmers are not only discouraged from poultry farming across the country but for almost all organic vegetables products. For example, the Dagana farmers produced good quantity of organic onions but they were left alone later. Same with the green chilli production. They need our support in market distribution channels and fixing the price. They can toil in the field for all of us. Let’s encourage them by buy back policy but not discourage by import policy. Let’s supply them quality feed but not harm them by contaminated feed. Let us support them by expanding their business ideas rather than blaming on the high price of local produce. The organic is always better. They are authentic. They are home made. They are made in Bhutan. This is how we preserve our Culture and Tradition. This is something we can include in Bhutan First rather than other sophisticated projects.