प्रवासका नेपालीभाषीको अभिभाकत्व ग्रहणको अनुरोध गर्दै त्रिविविलाई ज्ञापन–पत्र

 

साहित्यपोस्ट माघ २९, सोमवार १४:५३

काठमाडौँ । नेपालबाहिर रहेका नेपालीभाषीको शैक्षिक अभिभावकत्व ग्रहणको अनुरोध गर्दै त्रिविविलाई ज्ञापन–पत्र बुझाइएको छ । ९ फेब्रुवरी, शुक्रबार नेपालबाहिर बस्ने नेपालीभाषीहरुको शैक्षिक अभिभावकत्व ग्रहण गर्दै अध्ययन–अध्यापनको वातावरण निर्माण गर्न अनुरोध गर्दै त्रिविवि, नेपाली विभागलाई ज्ञापन–पत्र बुझाइएको हो ।

साहित्य परिषद् भुटानका तर्फबाट परिषद्का पूर्वअध्यक्ष भक्त घिमिरे र डा. गोविन्द रिजालले त्रिविवि नेपाली विभाग प्रमुख प्रा.डा. कृष्णप्रसाद न्यौपानेसमक्ष ज्ञापन पत्र बुझाएका हुन् ।

भुटानबाट निर्वासित भई हाल तेस्रो मुलुुकमा पुनर्वास भएका नेपालीभाषी विद्यार्थीहरुको भाषिक शैक्षिक उन्नतिका लागि विशेष पाठ्यक्रम तथा प्राविधिक सुविधा मिलाइदिन पत्रमा अनुरोध गरिएको छ । परिषद्का पूर्वाध्यक्ष घिमिरे भन्छन्, ‘अंग्रेजी अध्ययनका लागि अक्स्फोर्ड, क्याम्ब्रिज भनेजस्तै भौगोलिक सीमाबाहिर बस्ने नेपालीहरुका लागि त्रिविवि नै हो । तसर्थ, यो दृष्टिको भूमिका त्रिविविले नै खेल्नु पर्छ ।’

त्रिविवि, नेपाली विभाग प्रमुख न्यौपानेबाट सकरात्मक आश्वासन पाएको घिमिरेले साहित्यपोस्टसँगको कुराकानीमा बताएका छन् । नेपालीभाषीहरु विश्वको जुनसुकै कुनामा रहे पनि उनीहरुको अभिभावकत्व ग्रहण त्रिविविले लिनुपर्ने उनको तर्क छ ।

‘हामी (भुटानीहरु) ले अनौपचारिक रुपमा नेपाली भाषाको प्रयोग गरे पनि औपचारिक शिक्षा लिन पाएका हुँदैन ।’, घिमिरे भन्छन्, ‘अर्कोतर्फ, नेपाली भाषाको विश्वव्यापीकरणको आवाज उठाइरहेको अवस्थामा भौगोलिक सीमा बाहिर रहेका नेपालीभाषीलाई शिक्षाको पहुँचमा ल्याउनु झनै आवश्यक हुन्छ । यसका लागि नेपालबाहिर रहेरै नेपाली भाषाको औपचारिक अध्ययन तथा अध्यापन गर्ने वातावरण त्रिविविले तयार गरोस् भनी ज्ञापन–पत्र बुझाएका हौँ ।’

प्रा.डा. लक्ष्मणप्रसाद गौतम, उपप्रध्यापक महेश पौड्याल, नारायण गड्तौलालगायतको संयोजनका ज्ञापन–पत्र बुझाइएको थियो । ज्ञापन पत्रमा माग गरिएको विषय समसामयिक र दीर्घकालिक रहेको उहाँहरूको मत रहेको छ ।

https://sahityapost.com/literature-news/136508

BLACKLISTED IN BHUTAN- BOOK REVIEW

BLACKLISTED IN BHUTAN: Love Lost and Love Transformed in the Land of Gross National Happiness by Rieki Crins.

Rieki Crins reached Tsachaphu, then a rural village of hot spring in the Pochhu valley in Bhutan, for anthropology research for her Masters and later continued it for her Ph.D. She lands up in the village with a European mindset keeping and frequently comparing Bhutan to Medieval Europe. She has an abundant appreciation for the country and the villagers. Very soon her elite European mindset and behavior crush with the culture shock.

She reaches to a morning meal without washing her hands or face- the basic habit all Asian learn from the cradle.

She digs out the unique but prevalent features of rural health, hygiene, agriculture, culture, and hardship.

She has picked up the local language and excavated the culture to its depth and made the culture the subject of the book.

Throughout her writing, she appears an innocent and energetic researcher. Even after her Ph.D., she visits Bhutan twice a year as a tourist guide. She struggles to anchor in Bhutan with a hotel cum school. Her effort benefits many unemployed youths.

The twist comes when, without a yellow signal, her visa to Bhutan is denied without an explanation. Someone explained to her that the denial was because she was ‘Blacklisted.’ Thereafter, her writing flashback to the incidences of restriction and dictatorial rule in the silent country. She begins to see hypocrisy in the King's newfound ideology of Gross National Happiness.

She recalls some possible causes and speculates the reason to be one of her Facebook comments that possibly upset a member of the powerful royal family.

There is a big population, in and outside Bhutan, which is critical of the autocratic government. The title of the book ‘BLACKLISTED IN BHUTAN’ gets the early attention of such a group of people. 

She reached Bhutan in February 1990 when the government was iron-fisted handling a serious dissident movement. The book is free from the description of such political background.    

What she has explained but not concluded is her description of Wangmo’s and her partner- a Cello virtuoso- Maria’s anomalous behaviors in Bhutan. Her description matches TN Rizal’s description of Mind control in words and essence. Was she mind-controlled? Was her mind/intention read before taking an action on her? Reiki only can recall, re-evaluate and share it in detail in the future.   

She has also mentioned her engagement with Karen refugee/community in Burma and Thailand.

There are plenty of clues for the readers to speculate the reason for the denial of her visa to Bhutan.

On top of all the Book is a masterpiece on the culture of a Drukpa village. However, the bold title ‘BLACKLISTED’ shadows her content.

A one sitting book is full of carrying, entertaining and educating contents and is one of the must-read books for the students of culture and anthropology. 

Hybrid maize seeds assure promising yield

Sonam Wangdi, Phuentshogling

Apr 10 2014

Sadhu-Madhu village under Phuentshogling Gewog looks lush green. After a month of sowing, acres of maize plantation are ready to bear fruits. The promising yield is attributed to hybrid seeds the villagers were provided with.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forests had distributed five different hybrid seeds to 26 households in the village. Under the programme, ‘Spring Maize Production’, the villagers were also provided two types of local maize seeds.

The villagers have used 30 acres of land to sow the new hybrid seeds.

“We planted the seeds a month back and without so much of a care, the plants have grown tall,” said a villager, Mangso Drukpa. He said it will grow even taller in days to come.

Another villager, Sabitra Mongar, said for someone like her, whose landholding isn’t as much, they wouldn’t have to buy maize from the market, this time.

The Monggar’s Maize Production Coordinator from Research Development Center, Dorji Wangchuk, the programme is to boost mass maize production by the end the current five-year plan. Another objective, he said, is to meet food security and self-sufficiency in the country.

“If we look at our agro-ecological conditions, maize is a very versatile crop. It can be grown under a wide range of environment.” Dorji Wangchuk said in the wake of the changing climate, maize has the higher potential to adapt to different environment.

He said, by growing maize in the paddy fields, farmers will not have to leave their land fallow during dry season.

For now, the seeds were provided to the farmers for self-consumption. However, officials said, even for commercialisation of the crop, there is already a ready market.

“Maize, conventionally considered being a pro-poor crop, now has a huge market potential.” He said private entrepreneurs like Karma Feeds, due to the springing of poultry farms in the country, have a huge demand for the feeds. “Similarly, Army Welfare Project, they require a huge amount of maize for brewing.”

After cultivation of the crop in June, evaluations will be carried out to see the best hybrid seeds that the farmers prefer and only the preferred ones will be distributed to them from the next season.

Similar programme is also being carried out in 300 acres of land spread over the southern belt.

The hybrid seeds were bought from India.

Source & Video

Rice harvest likely to register record high

Improved irrigation, mechanised farming and high-yielding varieties are among the contributory factors

Agriculture: Despite cyclone Phailin damaging crops across the country, last year’s paddy production is still expected to touch a record high of 88,000MT, which translates to 57,000MT of rice after recovery (threshing).

Cyclone Phailin affected farmers in Paro, Thimphu, Wangduephodrang, Trongsa, and Punakha, and a total of 2,162kg of paddy was estimated damaged in Paro alone.

Based on a report, the food and agriculture organisation (FAO) recently published, the increased projection is attributed to expansion in plantings and higher yields.

The estimated paddy production is also four percent more than 2012’s production. Taking the lowest market price for local rice, which is Nu 50 a kilogram, the production of 57,000MT of local rice means the country produced rice worth Nu 2.8B last year.

Bhutan imported rice worth Nu 1.2B in 2012, an increase from Nu 853M in 2011.

Although agriculture officials expected increased paddy production in 2013, they are yet to see the final figures.

Chief agriculture officer Chimmi Rinzin said production would either go beyond the projected target or remain as targeted. “But it would definitely increase,” he said, adding it will take another four months to affirm the increased harvest.

The increased estimates of paddy production, Chimmi Rinzin said, were made based on increased investment in irrigation and mechanism program in the agriculture sector.

“There is mechanised farming system today,” he said, pointing out that improved irrigation system has turned fallow lands cultivable.

Promoting high-yielding varieties of paddy was another activity, agriculture officials explained that increased harvest last year.

The chief agriculture officer said they have noticed an increase in both production and productivity.

Although heavy rain and strong hailstorm in Mongar damaged maize fields of 286 households, maize production is estimated at 81,000MT, slightly more than 2012’s production. With this, the aggregate cereal production in 2013 is estimated at 192,900MT.

Following higher production in 2013, the cereal import requirement for the 2013-14 fiscal year (July-June) is also estimated at 66,100MT, about nine percent less from the previous year.

Imports in Bhutan consist mainly of rice and wheat, which, as per the FAO findings for this fiscal year, are forecast at 58,000MT and 6,000MT, respectively.

Chimmi Rinzin said paddy production target by the end of the current plan is 90,000MT.

However, officials said the country doesn’t have enough land to cultivate to make it 100 percent rice-sufficient. “But we’re able to maintain 50 percent rice-sufficiency and our target is to reach at least 65 percent in this Plan,” Chimmi Rinzin said. “Cereal sufficiency will be met.”

Starting 2009, department of agriculture has completed 12 major irrigation schemes in the country. The plan is to implement at least 30 large irrigation schemes each year during the 11th Plan.

By Rajesh Rai

source: Kuenselonline

Grasshopper infestation in Gomkora

Both Neten Dorji and the dratshang have agreed not to spray pesticides

Six acres of sharecropped dratshang paddy fields have been destroyed within a month

Pestilence: Grasshoppers have infested and, in a month, destroyed over six acres of paddy fields of Gomkora dratshang in Trashiyangtse.

The infestation began over four months ago from Lakorlung in Tongzhang gewog. Lakorlung is located four kilometres above Gomkora on the way to Tongzhang gewog. “They didn’t attack crops in the beginning, with plenty of grass to feed on in the forests, but after the grasses grew harder, they hopped to the crops,” a villager from Korlung, Neten Dorji said.

The paddy fields in Gomkora are owned by the dratshang (monastic body), but cultivated on a crop-sharing basis with the villagers. This time, farmer Neten Dorji is working as a sharecropper with the dratshang. He signed an agreement to contribute around 1,500kg of the total 7,000kg harvest to the dratshang.

“Around Nu 10,000 that I invested in paddy cultivation is gone now with the infestation,” Neten Dorji said. “But I’ll still have to contribute the rice, since we have no such clause in the agreement exempting contribution if the crop is damaged.”

Despite the infestation, both Neten Dorji and the dratshang have agreed not to spray pesticides.

“Since, Gomkora is a popular sacred place, we won’t allow the use of pesticides for the sake of the lives of millions of insects,” a monk from Gomkora said.

Neten Dorji said the grasshoppers would be left alone in the fields as long as paddy harvest season lasts. “They’ll disappear on their own after the harvest season,” he said. “If we use pesticides, insects would die in the millions and so it’s not worth the trouble by taking so many lives by the holy site.”

Tongzhang gup, Tashi Dorji said that, except for the paddy in Gomkora, no major damage to either maize or paddy has occurred in Tongzhang.

“Since maize has already attained its earing stage, the grasshoppers couldn’t damage much in the corn fields,” Tashi Dorji said.

The insects could not damage the paddy in Dukuling, because extension agriculture officers from six gewogs intervened with pesticides as punitive measure, he said.

Maize fields belonging to three households in Lakarlung were affected by the infestation. “The extent of damage in these households was also negligible,” Tashi Dorji said.

No reports of similar infestation have been reported in other gewogs of Trashiyangtse.

By Tempa Wangdi, Trashigang

SOURCE: KUENSEL

Commemorating 50 years from Dr Borlaug’s first visit

BGRI: Despite for four years of intensive wheat rust surveillance in Bhutan, no reports of it has been reported in the country.

The Borlaug’s global rust initiative (BGRI) has special interest in Bhutan mainly because it falls on the path of the wind direction where the wheat rust called Ug99 (stem rust) blows from Uganda towards the east.

Ug99 is the name of a stem rust, which arose from Uganda in 1998 and is predicted to be spreading rapidly. It has the potential to cause wheat production disaster affecting food security worldwide.

National plant protection centre’s (NPPC) program director Doe Doe said the Indo gigantic plains are immune to the rust spores, which are carried by the winds. “We also have varying ecological conditions within which we can see a species of shrubs called Barberry in our country,” he said. “Wheat and barberry can produce asexually, but barberry also allows sexual spores which means they can mate with the stem rust and produce different races of rust.”

The main danger, Doe Doe said is that the race would variate in mated rust and that is what the NPPC wants to study and see the cycle. “We have a conducive environment for rust multiplication and we could be receiving rust spores as we grow wheat throughout the year,” he said. “It is the main cash crop of some of our people and we have to keep importing from India but if we can’t control the wheat rust, it can spread down to India.”

BGRI held their fifth technical four-day workshop in New Delhi, India from August 19 where over 400 delegates from major wheat growing nations from all over the world attended the workshop.

The workshop discussed on building a global cereal rust monitoring system, keys to poverty reduction; food security and social welfare in developing nations; understanding the genetic landscape of stem rust; and perspectives on applied aspects of breeding for rust resistance among others.

Doe Doe said they are taking up this workshop to create an organic image and intensify cultivation, fight climate change by using water resources effectively and for food security. “People’s food habit and food basket are changing and if rice is not sufficient, we want to push wheat,” he said. “We can assess good varieties of wheat and right now our country produces three varieties called Bajoka 1, Bajoka 2 and Sonlika.”

Through BGRI, Doe Doe said they could train people and develop national capacity of researchers and surveillance officers with experts from BGRI providing technical expertise to the country.

“For example if we need help for wheat characterisation, we can either send our samples to the BGRI experts or they can come to Bhutan to study it,” Doe Doe said.

BGRI was launched in 2005 by late Dr Norman E Borlaug, the father of green revolution and a Nobel peace prize winner, who is also known as the man who saved a billion lives. With the BGRI technical workshop, India also commemorated Dr Borlaug’s legacy and 50 years from his first visit to India. Farmers remember him as a very kind, helpful and generous man who saved their lives by giving them seeds, which doubled their production.

BGRI’s chairperson and the daughter of Dr Borlaug, Jeannie Borlaug Laube said, “To advance his legacy and vision to alleviate hunger in the most sustainable and nutritious way, my father would urge us to harness all the tools of biotechnology that we have before us.”

The president of India inaugurated and commemorated the event on August 19 at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, India. The workshop concluded on August 22.

By Sonam Choden, New Delhi

Source: Kuensel

Wetlands in want of water

With no water to irrigate the fields, the wetlands of Wanringmo in Ramjar, Trashiyangtse have remained fallow

Agriculture: With streams that irrigate the paddy fields drying, wetlands in three gewogs of Trashiyangtse – Ramjar, Toedtsho and Khamdang – are left fallow.

Cultivation in more than seven acres of paddy field in Wangringmo, Ramjar, stopped after the Bamnari stream dried up. “Cultivation ceased after Bamnari stream, the only water source for the fields, shrunk as it was channeled to the villages from upstream,” a villager from Ramjar said.

The water from Bamnari was drained into the villages, because the spring water that served for drinking water before dried up recently, he said.

Since then, the Bamnari that once provided enough water for irrigation to Wangringmo located downstream failed to supply abundant water for cultivation.

“The little water that flows downstream is only enough for a few landowners, while the rest of us downhill have no water,” another villager from Ramjar, Phuntsho said.

Wangringmo, located on the flat bank of Drangmechu, is known for its potential to grow chili earlier than others. While Wangringmo is the only wetland that has been left fallow in Ramjar, up to 300-400 acres of wetlands are left fallow in Khamdhang gewog for want of irrigation canal. Paddy fields in villages like Brenglung, Manla, Tshotsang and Shali in Khamdhang have also remained fallow for years from the lack of irrigation canals.

Khamdhang village, which once thrived with its wetland, has now turned its land into maize fields. “If we had water, Khadhang would be filled with paddy fields by now, because when we had water, everyone turned dry land to wetland,” a villager from Khamdhang, Sangay Wangdi said.

The villagers prefer rice to maize for staple food, he said, adding that, if they have access to water, they are still hoping to grow rice. “Villagers can no longer afford imported rice, the price of which keeps shooting up.”

From a total of 8,883 acres of wetland in six dzongkhags, 1,193 acres have gone fallow in the past ten years, according to a study by the research centre in Wengkhar under Mongar. If the trend continued, Bhutan would have no wetland in another seven decades. Fifty of the 69 gewogs in east imports 51 percent of the country’s rice consumption, the study pointed out.

But villagers of Khamdhang, anticipating water would flow into their fields one day, are still paying tax for wetland, which is double of that for dry land, although they have been growing maize for over 12 years now. The tax for an acre of wetland is Nu 24 annually.

“Most lands are fallow because of water shortage, besides other factors like rural-urban migration,” Khamdhang gup Ugyen Wangdi said. He said the fallowing multiplied after floods damaged the only water source from Buyang. The irrigation canal is still under repair. Ramjar mangmi, Karchung, said the gewog is planning to channel water to Wangringmo from Drangmeychu river using a water pump.

“For that, farmers also received training on keeping the fields engaged throughout the year rather than just paddy,” Karchung said.

Khamdhang, which continues to see an increasing area of wetland remaining fallow, would have water when the pending Buyang water supply is restored.

By Tempa Wangdi, Trashigang

Source: Kuensel

Upland Rice cultivation in Mongar, Bhutan

Deprived of wetland to cultivate paddy, villagers of Damkhar under Gongdue gewog in Mongar have resorted to cultivating it on dry land. The practice is called pangbara. These days they are busy weeding the plantation.

Source: Kuensel

Rinchengang’s rice revolution

By the handful: Wangdue drangpoen Pasang Wangmo inaugurates the first harvest

Double cropping and mechanised farming could bring about a change of fortunes to this economically deprived settlement

Agriculture: Of the many paddy fields that sit on a gentle slope in Rinchengang, one of the poor villages in Wangdue, one is the size of five archery ranges put together, on a flat piece of land.

Along the right side of the Wangdue zam (bridge), the field is filled with full-grown and ripe paddy plants that sway in the breeze coming from the Punatsangchu (river).

The paddy in the other fields near the village is still in the growing stage, with transplantation done a few weeks ago.

On July 19, more than 50 farmers, including agriculturists and senior government officials, gathered at the huge rice field, which is spread across 20 acres, to harvest the crop using a mechanised harvester and pedal thrasher.

Using double cropping mechanism, the first crop was transplanted in March this year. “We could have harvested in the first week of July, but the rain didn’t allow us,” the national rice programme coordinator, Ngawang Chopel, said.

Re-initiated after a decade, rice farmers in Rinchengang village should be able to harvest paddy twice a year. “They should be able start next plantation by the end of this month,” Ngawang Chophel said.

In the second phase, the farmers will grow the IR-20913 variety, which is a short duration paddy, developed using local and imported variety from the Philippines.  This time as well, the government will provide them free machines, seeds and expertise.

The number 11, which the farmers of Rinchengang harvested, is a cold tolerant variety, suitable in high altitude areas like Thimphu, Paro, Tashigang, Tashiyangtse, Lhuentse and Mongar.

Farmers like Dema said that, last year, the harvest was barely adequate for her family of three, and her husband had to contribute labour to earn more cash.

Dema usually collected around 200kg of paddy from her one langdo of land.  With double cropping and mechanised farming, she can now harvest more than 600kg.

A comparative study showed that 4,900kg of paddy may be harvested from 20 acres of land using the mechanised method, as against 1,000 to 1,800kg through traditional farming methods.  Agriculturalists said the increase was mainly because of improved variety and method used.

Until recently, 90 percent of the 83 households in Rinchen chiwo worked as sharecroppers, village elders said. “More farmers became sharecroppers, as land holdings became smaller with expansion of the family,” a village head said.

Mechanised farming will also help produce more in a small land holding, according to Thedtso gewog’s agriculture extension officer, Jamgay Lhamo. “We plan to expand double cropping from 20 acres to 35 acres,” she said.

Double cropping was carried out as a part of a pilot project to revive the programme that was introduced in 1999 but discontinued because of water shortage and damage by pests.

Earlier this year, plantation was done using a Japanese machine planter that took 20 minutes to plant what it took two workers a day.

“I’m hopeful, through the sale of rice, people will become self sufficient. GNH is when we become self-reliant,” the Wangdue drangpoen, Pasang Wangmo said, when the first crop was harvested. “With mechanised farming wives don’t have to complain about their husband running away in farming season.”

Despite, agriculture being the main source of income for more than 900 people living in the clustered village of Rinchengang that faces the burnt down Wangdue dzong, keeping double cropping going is a concern among agriculture officials.

Tuned to urban lifestyles influenced by Punatsangchu project, farmers may discontinue if the government withdrew free seeds, machines and fund for greenhouse. “I don’t know whether they’ll continue when they have to do everything on their own,” one of the rice experts said.

By Tenzin Namgyel, Wangdue

SOURCE

Lead in rice?

Written by  Sophie Clayton

Last month, the BBC reported that US rice imports 'contain harmful levels of lead' (as published on 10 April 2013), followed by an article in Time Magazine, Worrisome levels of lead found in imported rice. Both cited research from Monmouth University that was pending publication in a scientific journal.

The topic got wide media coverage, yet the results were surprising to experts working in rice, including scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Results under review

The BBC has since updated its article (still with the same title), but it now includes a critical new paragraph: “However, the results are preliminary and will be extensively reviewed prior to publication in a journal.” This reaffirms the work has not yet been published and that there is still a question mark over the validity of the data on the amount of lead reported to have been found in the rice samples.

Dr.Tsanangurayi Tongesayi, Associate Professor - Analytical and Environmental Chemistry at Monmouth University, and the researcher behind the work, explained, “We put our paper on hold pending the data verification exercise that we are carrying out.”

Some media outlets have followed up on this and published counter articles such as in Natural News, which delves into the topic in detail, Exclusive: Scientific paper that announced high levels of lead in rice suddenly retracted by its author and the Herald Online, Lead in rice study retracted; truth about heavy metals in rice revealed.

Dr. Tongesayi explained that the first method they used to analyze lead content was an XRF instrument, which he says is widely agreed to be an excellent method for analyzing total metal content ¹. He explained that when they went to verify the amount of lead they had found in the rice using a different method they received very different results showing much less lead than originally recorded.

He said they were now doing more analyses using more than one method in an effort to get verifiable data on the amount of lead found in the rice.

“The most important issue for me at this point is to make sure the data is accurate,” Dr. Tongesayi said. “If it is not accurate we will obviously not publish the paper.”

Is rice safe to eat?

Previous research ^2 , 3 , has shown that lead is not a significant concern for food safety of rice. Even where the soil is contaminated with a lead spill, a number of studies have shown that rice plants do not take up a significant amount of lead and move it to the grains. Human exposure to lead comes primarily through inhalation of exhaust fumes (in places where lead is still used in gasoline) or direct ingestion of lead-containing dust or paint.

IRRI supports the existing evidence that demonstrates that rice consumption is not considered a significant source of exposure to lead.

---

References 

1. Palmer PT, Jacobs R, Baker PE, Ferguson K, and Webber S. (2009). Use of field-portable XRF analyzers for rapid screening of toxic elements in FDA-regulated products. J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Apr 8;57(7):2605-13.

2. Shimbo S, Zhang ZW, Watanabe T, Nakatsuka H, Matsuda-Inoguchi N, Higashikawa K, and Ikeda M. (2001). Cadmium and lead contents in rice and other cereal products in Japan in 1998-2000. Sci Total Environ. 2001 Dec 17;281(1-3):165-75.

3. Moon C S, Zhang ZW, Shimbo S, Watanabe T, Moon DH, Lee CU, Lee BK, Ahn KD, Lee SH, and Ikeda M. (1995). Dietary intake of cadmium and lead among the general population in Korea. Environ Res. 1995 Oct;71(1):46-54.

RICE news from Bhutan

Samdrupchholing begins double-cropping paddy

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Aum Rinchen Lhamo, 54 is happy that double paddy plantation on her field is likely to yield well

Reviving a practice that died about a decade ago following security issues

It is not yet season for paddy transplantation, still a patch of paddy field in Phuntshothang gewog, Samdrupjongkhar already wears a green look amid brown untilled terraced surroundings.

It is only towards the end of May that farmers of the gewog begin tilling their fields and transplanting paddy sometime in June.

Samdrupjongkhar’s maximum rice growing dungkhag, Samdrupchholing (Bhangtar) has, this year, begun double-cropping and four households are experimenting to find out how the scheme fares.

Phuntshothang gewog lies at a lower altitude and has no water problem during winter and spring.

Gewog extension officer Choni Lhamo said since the gewog did not face water scarcity, they decided to give double-cropping a try.

“A few farmers approached me to try out double cropping,” she said, adding they then bought three varieties of seeds – 100kg of IR20913, 10kg of hardinand and 5kg of B2983B – from regional development centre in Bhur, Gelephu.

They were distributed among the four identified households.

On January 28, the seeds were nurtured in a nursery to raise them for transplantation, which was done on the first week of March.

A  Phuntshothang farmer, Rinchen Lhamo said double-cropping was not a totally new thing for them.

She said the villagers had always been doing that a decade ago, which fizzled out gradually because of the militant and political problem in 2003.

“I’m trying it again after a long time not because my usual produce is insufficient to feed my family, but just don’t want to watch my land left barren during off-season,” she said. “It’s coming up well, but not as good as in the real paddy season.”

Rinchen Lhamo, who had seven children, has used about an acre of her more than three-acre land to grow paddy this time.

Another farmer, who chose not to take the risk of trying to transplant paddy this time, said growing paddy around this time of the year would expose the plant to pests. “Otherwise this is a good season where irrigation is left all to ourselves since other villagers are not using it,” he said.

Double-cropping was initiated this time, Choni Lhamo said because farmers of Samdrupchholing did not have to plough fields manually as they did in the past.

Farmers have membership with farm mechanisation centre since last year, which allows them to hire power tillers to plough fileds.

Depending on the terrain of their land, farmer are charged Nu 175 an hour as hiring fee.

The machines, agriculture officials said tilled about 50-decimal land within an hour, what otherwise took half a day with a pair of oxen.

“All seeds are improved varieties and were not grown here before,” Choni Lhamo said. “This will be our dry demonstration only. If it goes well, we’ll replicate it next year.”

Phunthsothang gewog has about 500 acres of paddy field.

Besides double-cropping farmers of Phuntshothang gewog have also begun growing mushrooms on straw starting this year in collaboration with regional development centre in Khangma.

However, only five households have tried growing mushrooms, which proved successfully.

Five farmers recently sold about 200kg of fresh straw-grown mushroom for Nu 150 a kilogram.

The four households that have tried double-cropping of paddy are waiting to tell tales of a similar success.

By Nirmala Pokhrel,  Samdrupjongkhar

Source:  KUENSEL