Rice production in Bhutan facts for kids
Rice is a super important food in Bhutan, a country in the Himalayas. Most of the rice grown there is eaten by the people who live in Bhutan. It helps make sure everyone has enough to eat!
Even though most rice is for families, some farmers do sell their extra rice. Back in 2001, it seemed like only a tiny bit was sold, but later surveys showed that about 15% of the rice grown was actually sold in markets.
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Growing Rice in Bhutan
Many people in Bhutan work in farming, about 79% of everyone! In 2006, Bhutan grew a lot of rice, around 74,720 metric tons. That's a huge amount! They used about 67,568 acres of land to grow it. This was a big jump from 44,000 tons in 2000. Rice growing in Bhutan increased by more than half between 1989 and 1997.
Where Rice Grows Best
The biggest areas for growing rice are:
- Samtse, which has the most land for rice (2,889 hectares).
- Sarpang, with 2,839 hectares.
- Punakha, with 1,971 hectares.
Even though Punakha has less land, it grows the most rice, about 6,274 tons each year! Other important places for rice are Paro and Wangduephodrang. Wangduephodrang even has a special institute that studies rice.
Challenges for Rice Farming
Sometimes, land that was used for farming rice gets used for buildings or roads instead. This means less land for growing food. However, even with some land lost, Bhutan still grows enough rice to feed about half of its people.
Even though Bhutan grows a lot of rice, it still buys some from other countries. Every year, Bhutan imports about 6,000 to 7,000 metric tons of rice. In 2020, rice was one of the most imported things, costing a lot of money.
Over the last 20 years, the amount of land used for rice farming has gone down. In 1981, there were 28,000 hectares of land for rice, but by 2017, it was only 20,547 hectares. This loss means Bhutan produced over 31,300 fewer tons of rice. That's enough rice to feed one-fifth of the country's population for a whole year!
Types of Rice
Bhutanese Red Rice
Bhutanese red rice is a special type of rice that is a main food for people in Bhutan. It's a medium-sized grain and has a reddish color because some of its outer layer, called the bran, is left on. This makes it cook a bit faster than brown rice. When it's cooked, it turns a pale pink color and is soft and a little sticky.
This unique rice became available in the United States in the mid-1990s.
Climate Change and Rice
In the higher parts of Bhutan, it's becoming harder to grow rice because there isn't always enough water. Because of this, farmers are going back to growing older, traditional types of rice. These types are known as Yangkum, Jama, Janaap, and Jakaap. They are good because they grow well in high places and don't need a long time to grow and be harvested.
Images for kids
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A wide view of agriculture in Bhutan.
