A Bhutanese Dairy Farmer, Ms. Chimmi Dema, an aspiring dairy farmer from Gogona, Wangduephodrang received a prestigious FAO’s “Model Agriculturalists” award on 18th October 2019 at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Assistant Director General of FAO RAP presented the FAO’s annual Asia-Pacific award to Ms. Chimmi Dema and four other Asian and Pacific farmers for their outstanding achievements in agriculture and food production.

Ms. Chimi Dema is a progressive dairy farmer in Gogona under Gangtey gewog in Wangdue Phodrang. She is an active member and also serves as the dairy technician at the Milk Processing Unit (MPU) of Gogona Gonor Yargay Chethuen Detshen. Finding dairy enterprise as a promising enterprise for cash income generation, she and her husband planned to strengthen their dairy business last year (2018). They applied for a Priority Sector Lending (PSL) loan to build and expand their dairy farming business. With the loan from the PSL, they build an improved dairy shed and bought 20 Holstein Friesian dairy cows. With the addition of these dairy cows, the milk supply to the MPU has increased and this has helped the Gogona Gonor Yargay Chethuen Detshen to supply more dairy products to consumers in Wangduephodrang and in Thimphu. 

Ms. Chimi Dema is keen to develop and diversify dairy products besides usual production of butter and cottage cheese. She is aware that one day the market will be flooded with cottage cheese and butter, inviting problem in dairy products marketing. With the help of the Dzongkhag Livestock Sector and some trainers from outside, she learnt to process dairy products, such as varieties of western hard cheese like Gouda, Emmental Cheese, youghurt (both set yoghurt and stirred yoghurt). At the moment she is producing 3 types of western/Swiss hard cheeses, stir yoghurt beside normal butter and cottage cheese. Due to her commitment, dedication and hard work, the members of the Gogona Gonor Yargay Chethuen Detshen are benefited in terms of cash income and engagement in dairy farming. 

The award ceremony was a part of FAO’s Asia-Pacific 2019 observance of World Food Day.

Photo Credits: FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand.

The Nation marks the World Rabies Day with a theme “Rabies: Vaccinate to Eliminate”. The Department of Livestock will update of happenings on Rabies day all across the country soon.

Lets us all come together responsibly and make Rabies a past history. #RabiesEndHere

26 September 2019: The Department of Livestock is currently convening a consultation workshop on the sustainable poultry industry and future challenges in Bhutan from 26-28 September 2019 in Gelephu, organized by Department of Livestock, with fund support from Effective Microorganism Technology (EMT) project affiliated to Miyagi farm corporation in Japan. The main objective of the workshop is to discuss issues pertaining to poultry sector development in the country and deliberate further on way-forward plans with new interventions and strategies. The workshop also aims to align and synchronize annual work plan of commodity program and regional poultry farms in planning parent breeder import, DoC production, supply and demand collation, and input production forecast for 12^th FYP and beyond.

The workshop will also see discussions on EMT in poultry farming, and replication of the technology to other regions and Dzongkhags after its successful implementation in Tsirang Dzongkhag (Project PMU). It will further discuss on need-based researches required in the poultry industry to enhance productivity and socio-economic development of the poultry farmers in the country.

The three days meeting is
being attended by representatives from Poultry Inputs farms of NPRDC, RPBC,
RPPBC and technical staff of RLDC Tsimasham and Wangdue.

19 September 2019: Department of Livestock presented a concept document on dairy enterprise development to Ministry this morning. A project proposal titled “Transforming dairy sector for sustainable livelihood of dairy farmers in Bhutan” was tabled for discussion, chaired by Hon’ble Sanam Lyonpo, and attended by technical staff from DoL HQ & National Dairy Research & Development Centre, and planning officers from Ministry Policy and Planning Division.

Enterprise development is a new approach adopted by Ministry in 12 Five year plan to upscale the RNR production through organized and formal value chain strategy interventions, with a focus to enhance income, youth employment, substantially reduce import of livestock products and strive towards achieving greater food self-sufficiency.

Sealed Bids are invited from the eligible Civil Contractors registered with Construction Development Board (CDB) for the following works as detailed below;

Name of works	Date of start sale of tender	Date of closing sale of tender	Last date and time for submission	Tender opening date & time	Contract period (months)
Construction of integrated stores at Cattle Rearing Centre, Wangkha, Chhukha	10 September 2019	11 October 2019	11 October 2019 (1400 Hours)	11 October 2019 (1430 Hours)	6 (six) months

Bidding documents may be downloaded free of cost from the websites of Construction Development Board; www.cdb.gov.bt from10/09/2019 to 11/10/2019, and submit to the office along with an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of Nu.80,000/-(Eighty Thousand) only in the form of Cash Warrant or Demand Draft in favor of the Farm Manager, Cattle Rearing Centre, Wangkha; Chhukha.

“Decision of the tender Committees is
final and binding”

For any inquiry, please call at 17170583/17735970/02-322418/05-290424 during office hours.

(Farm Manager), CRC,Wangkha

National Research & Development Centre for Aquaculture (NR&DCA), Gelephu in collaboration with Samdrupjongkhar Livestock Sector organized a week-long training on pond fish farming to two land user certificate (LUC) groups from Dorangthang LUC group located under Samdrupcholing Drungkhag, and Jangsa LUC group located under Jomotshangkha from 2-6^th September 2019.

The
LUC training, which was first of its kind, was participated by 19 members including
8 LUC members and 11 fish farmers.

Realizing the significant importance of LUC project, the training consisted of both theoretical and practical aspects of aquaculture in terms of general principles of freshwater aquaculture, fish pond construction, fish pond management (pre-stocking, stocking, and post-stocking), transportation of live fish after packaging, feeding through local feed formulation and fish propagation. As a complementary curriculum, National Piggery Research and Development Centre (NPiRDC) provided LUC members basics of pig farming and its management to the training members.

The training funded by Samdrupjongkhar Livestock Sector completed with the awarding of certificates to the trainees

Reported by: Drukpola, NRDCA, Gelephu

Under the support of EU – Technical Assistance Complimentary Support (EU-TACS) Project, Mr. Nico van Wageningen from The Netherlands was previously assigned to provide consulting services including technical assistance and studies in support of sound implementation of strategies in inputs farms under the Department.

Mr. Nico as a part of his assignment is currently visiting the farms under the Department of Livestock to exercise critical analysis of DoL’s livestock input generating farms. During his visit, he will be closely looking into farm potential and strategic gap analysis with respect to the production capacity of inputs and their contribution to input demand, taking note of the 12th five-year plan targets and vision 2045 for the livestock sector.

He will also assess the potential for developing a strategy of cluster livestock farms and identify areas requiring improvement, and suggest appropriate technical and policy interventions.

Later this month (September), he will present his final findings and report to the Department of Livestock.

In pursuit to achieve livestock product self-sufficiency for a prosperous Bhutanese society, the Department of Livestock has come up with the strategy document to streamline the mandates and functions of the livestock input farms and commodity centres towards fulfilling 12^th FYP plan and priorities.

Thus, coinciding with 30^th day of the 6^th month of the Bhutanese Calendar 2019, the Department of Livestock is pleased to launch the first edition of Strategy and Management Plan (August 2019) of Livestock Input Farms.

The launch of this document has come timely with the commencement of new financial year 2019-20, and the onset of new development plan of Bhutan (12^th Five Year Plan).

The document will be made available for download in the DoL webpage soon.

30 August 2019: Coinciding with 30th day of the 6th month of Bhutanese calendar 2019, Department of Livestock signed its annual performance agreement (APA) for the financial year 2019-20 with its respective divisions, central programs and units today.

29 August 2019: Department of Livestock is currently convening a meeting on the development of annual performance agreement (APA) for the financial year 2019-20. Participants consisting of representatives from different central programs and units are taking part in the meeting scheduled from 29-30 August 2019. 

During the meeting, the participants were informed of the Department APA Fy 2018-19 review performed by Ministry Internal Committee Review (IRC), and subsequently, the outcomes of APA 2018-19 of centres and units were also presented.

Later this week, Department will agree on APA 2019-19 of its centres and units, and make tripartite singing between Director General, respective Chiefs, and concerned Unit Heads.