Arya News - More than 5,000 hectares of farmland have gone out of production these past four years – widening the gap between Bhutan`s food self-reliance ambitions, and existing land available for agriculture.
THIMPHU – More than 5,000 hectares of farmland have gone out of production in the past four years, widening the gap between Bhutan’s food self-reliance ambitions and the land available for agriculture.
While Bhutan has invested for decades to transform agriculture, strengthen food security and reduce dependence on imported food, the decline in cultivated land is highlighted in Bhutan’s Food Balance Sheets (FBS) Report, prepared by the National Statistics Bureau (NSB) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
According to the report, the country’s gross cropped area declined from about 42,000 hectares in 2021 to 36,600 hectares in 2024. Harvested area under all crops also fell from 41,956 hectares to 36,606 hectares during the same period.
The report highlights a fundamental challenge facing Bhutan’s food system. Although the country has achieved self-sufficiency in some commodities, it remains heavily dependent on imports for foods that make up a significant share of the daily diet.
“Domestic production met only 33 percent of cereal demand and 12 percent of vegetable oil requirements during the period,” the report states.
Cereals, the foundation of the Bhutanese diet, recorded an average self-sufficiency ratio of only 33 percent between 2021 and 2024. Vegetable oils had the lowest ratio at 12 percent, while pulses stood at 17 percent.
Cereals continued to dominate the agricultural landscape, accounting for 53 percent of the gross cropped area in 2024, followed by vegetables at 12 percent. However, the overall cropped area continued to shrink.
The sharpest decline was recorded in spices. Harvested area nearly halved from 6,100 hectares in 2021 to 3,400 hectares in 2024, reducing its share of the total cropped area from 14.5 percent to about 9 percent.
Fruit cultivation, however, expanded modestly, with its share increasing from 7 percent to 9 percent. Oranges remained Bhutan’s leading fruit crop, producing 20,830 metric tonnes (MT) from 1,887 hectares, while apples produced 2,102 MT from 411 hectares.
The increase in fruit production, however, has not offset the decline in other agricultural areas, particularly crops essential for food security.
Rice and maize remain Bhutan’s principal cereal crops. In 2024, the country produced 41,537 MT of rice from 9,112 hectares and 27,635 MT of maize from 7,531 hectares. Despite this production, cereal imports continue to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
The report also shows declining food and nutrient availability. Average dietary energy supply fell from 2,964 kilocalories per person per day in 2021 to 2,768 kilocalories in 2024, a decline of about 7 percent.
Annual cereal availability declined from 201 kilograms per person to 183 kilograms. Starchy roots fell from 17 kilograms to 11 kilograms per person, pulses from 6 kilograms to 4 kilograms, tree nuts from 26 kilograms to 16 kilograms, and eggs from 8 kilograms to 6 kilograms.
Plant protein supply declined from 47.01 grams to 43.59 grams per person per day, while animal protein supply fell from 23.4 grams to 19.1 grams.
Why is agricultural land declining?
The decline in cultivated land is driven by multiple factors, including economic pressures, labour shortages, changing livelihoods, environmental risks and the growing difficulty of making farming profitable.
The Cost of Production for Field and Horticulture Crops in Bhutan 2020 report notes that production cost data are essential for “evaluating farm performance, estimating gross and net returns, determining government minimum support prices, and assessing the efficient use of farm resources.” However, Bhutan still lacks a comprehensive regional and national database on production costs for agricultural commodities.
Production costs vary widely by crop and altitude. Low-altitude paddy cultivation requires an estimated investment of Nu 52,721 per acre. Mid-altitude paddy has the highest production cost at Nu 41 per kilogram, with an expenditure of Nu 68,404 per acre. High-altitude paddy requires the largest investment at Nu 93,931 per acre, although higher yields help lower production costs.
Among cereals, quinoa has the highest production cost at Nu 75 per kilogram because of its low productivity of only 300 kilograms per acre, followed by millet at Nu 54 per kilogram. Maize remains the most competitive, with the lowest production cost of Nu 19 per kilogram due to its higher average yield of 1,386 kilograms per acre.
Vegetable production faces similar challenges. Garlic has the highest production cost at Nu 98 per kilogram, followed by asparagus at Nu 80 per kilogram.
The report concludes that “low returns on investment discourage further investment in agriculture”, a factor that may be contributing to the decline in cultivated land.
Labour challenges
Bhutan’s agricultural challenge is increasingly becoming a labour challenge. According to the Labour Force Survey, agriculture employed about 41.7 percent of Bhutan’s working population in 2024, up from 139,836 people in 2022 to 154,512 in 2024.
However, younger people are increasingly seeking opportunities outside farming, particularly in urban areas and the service sector. As they move away, agriculture is becoming more dependent on ageing farmers and family labour.
Women remain central to agricultural production. More than 95 percent of economically active women are engaged in agriculture, from planting and harvesting to livestock management and processing.
Recognising the labour shortage, the government approved a pilot programme to recruit foreign agricultural workers. Implemented in Samtse and Samdrupjongkhar, the programme recruited 126 workers through licensed recruitment agencies.
Wildlife losses and interventions
The Department of Agriculture estimates that crop depredation by wild animals causes losses of between 19 and 43 percent of annual crop yields. For smallholder farmers, repeated losses reduce the incentive to continue cultivation, especially when production costs are already high.
To address the problem, the government allocated Nu 5.1 billion under the 13th Plan for chain-link fencing. During FY 2024–2025, 83 fencing schemes covering 420 kilometres were implemented across all 20 dzongkhags.
However, fencing addresses only one part of the problem. Farmers continue to face challenges related to markets, irrigation, transportation and profitability.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Annual Report 2024–2025 identifies agriculture as a priority sector under the 13th Plan, focusing on commercialisation, climate resilience and modernisation. The ministry managed a capital budget of Nu 1.44 billion during the fiscal year, achieving an 83.6 percent utilisation rate.
The Department of Agriculture describes irrigation as “one of the most critical inputs for crop production”. Under the 13th Plan, 24 centrally implemented irrigation schemes have been prioritised. Five were initiated during the reporting period. Two have been completed, while the rest are under construction, with a combined investment of Nu 125.8 million.
During the reporting period, 3,067 acres were brought under mechanised cultivation, benefiting 1,689 households. The government also established new commercial farming initiatives, including Chirub farms in Samdrupjongkhar and the Yarjugang Open-Air Prisoners Farm in Wangdue.
Between 1988 and 2024, Bhutan released 59 improved field crop varieties, 110 improved fruit varieties and 131 improved vegetable varieties.