In Pema Gatshel, for almost two decades the people of Norbugang and Nyingshingborang villages in Norbugang Gewog left their paddy fields fallow. Their paddy fields located at Gongribalay along the banks of the Gongri River are slowly starting to show signs of what was once a thriving rice bowl. Much to the delight of the residents of the two villages, recent land development works have enabled them to revive paddy cultivation at Gongribalay.
Without access to reliable irrigation water coupled with a shortage of labour, sustaining agriculture has been a challenge for the people of Norbugang and Nyingshingborang.
The recent land development works at Gongribalay carried out by the District Agriculture Sector have made it possible to do mechanised paddy cultivation.
“It is a different feeling altogether. The land was owned by our ancestors and was left fallow for many years. Today, we could cultivate some part of it but later we are hoping to cultivate all of it,” said Pema Wangdra, a resident.
“It has become very easy for us as the work is now done by machines. We have cultivated paddy and we are hoping we will reap benefits from it,” said Palden Zangmo, another resident.
As the land was just excavated, it has more small stones and boulders, so we could not cultivate all of it,” said Taupo, a resident.
“When the government is doing their best by spending a lot for us, we also decided to cultivate paddy instead of growing other crops,” said Kezang Tashi, a resident.
Farmers say they are expecting a good yield as this is the first paddy cultivation in decades. Soon farmers of the two villages will have Khamtey rice on their menu.
“We thought we can at least survive on maize and other crops. But the government has provided us with such a facility and now we are going to cultivate plenty of rice. And we will keep on working till the end of our lives,” said Tsedhan, a resident.
“In our country, we are not able to produce many things. But we thought that we must produce enough rice without having to import it. So, we are trying our best now,” said Pema Dorji, a resident.
“Sometimes, India bans the export of rice. So, it is very important for us to produce rice ourselves. Even the price of imported rice keeps on increasing and as farmers, it is hard to afford imported rice,” said Pema Wangdi, a resident.
Around 40 acres of land were revived under the land development project in 2021. More than 30 households benefitted from the project.
The farmers are cultivating more than half of the revived land this year and they will cultivate the remaining land by next year.
Thinley Dorji, Pema Gatshel
Edited by Sherub Dorji
