Bhutan’s Agriculture and Forests Minister Lyonpo Yeshey Dorji inaugurated a kiwi fruit orchard (demonstration farm) in Wangkha on 15 March 2015. The orchard was established by ICIMOD in collaboration with the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cultivating kiwi fruit on sloping land in the mid-hill areas can help prevent soil erosion. Kiwi cultivation is thus a sustainable land management practice. This high-value crop introduces biodiversity and improves livelihoods by providing a source of cash income for mountain farmers.

ICIMOD and BCCI have provided 200 kiwi fruit saplings and a kilogram of seeds for the pilot project sites. They have also provided technical backstopping in setting up kiwi fruit orchards in two separate locations in Wangkha and Chasilakha. The technical support was provided for selecting appropriate layout for the kiwi orchard, ensuring the ideal density of kiwi plants based on land availability, making a T-trellis to support Kiwi plants, and for preparing seedbeds to raise the kiwi seedlings for rootstocks.

Kiwi fruit cultivation is one of the potential activities identified for Chukha under the ‘One Dzongkhag Three Products’ (ODTPs) initiative. It has been initiated as one of the first pilot projects.