In Bamdir Village of Tashi Yangtse’s Bumdeling Gewog, farmers are exploring green tea production as a promising business venture. A group of nine farmers known as Shingmen Nagtshel Thuenken, started their green tea production about eight months ago, becoming the first in the district. While they are currently facing marketing challenges due to their new operation, the group is dedicated to producing quality tea.
The members of Shingmen Nagtshel Thuenken gather at their centre to harvest leaves from nearby plants and forests. They wash the leaves to remove dirt and then dry them in the sun.
Initially, the dried leaves are placed in a rolling machine, followed by various machines for further dehydration until they become crunchy.
The dried leaves are then beaten into a powder using traditional methods instead of a pounding machine.
The group produces three varieties of green tea: Hypericum tea, locally known as Sonam Choe Jha, Viscum tea or Nya-Shing-Jhurmu and Mint tea or Usha la.
Local users believe that these natural herbs are known to have medicinal benefits, although no scientific research has been conducted to verify these claims.
Once packaged, the tea is sold in nearby areas and in Thimphu where the group has earned around one hundred thousand Ngultrum so far.
They have also domesticated the plants on less than an acre of nearby land.
“When we make the powder manually, there is a chance of getting dirt in it and it takes a lot of time. While we don’t face many issues with processing, we are struggling to sell our products. I think this is mainly because it’s our first time in the market and we don’t have strong relationships with other partners yet,” said Kinley Gyeltshen, a member of Shingmen Nagtshel Thuenken, Tashi Yangtse.
“If there is more demand, we plan to focus on producing green tea. Currently, we don’t have much demand which could be due to it being our first time in the market. If demand increases, we thought about having one member stay here to work full-time since our group only has nine members,” said Sangay Youden, another member of Shingmen Nagtshel Thuenken, Tashi Yangtse.
Meanwhile, according to officials at Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, the green tea production unit is still in its initial stages, so marketing isn’t a major issue yet. They are collaborating with the district and the Queen’s project to explore market opportunities. The district also plans to start an integrated farm sales outlet this financial year.
A packet of green tea costs Nu 200. The Queen’s Project, Bhutan for Life and GEF- Ecotourism under the United Nations Development Programme has funded about Nu 4.5 M for construction and equipment purchases. Through the Queen’s project, members also received hands-on training in machine operation, packaging and marketing.
Sonam Darjay, Tashi Yangtse
Edited by Sonam Pem
