|
BHUTAN, surrounded by India and China high in the Himalayas, is a tiny nation of 47,000 km2 with a population of 2 million. Apart from snow-covered mountains, there are southern tropical plains and central temperate plains. Only 2.4% of the land is arable, and half of that is on steep mountainsides. Nearly all the workforce is engaged in agriculture, which makes up 38% of the GDP. General information - GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 1,440
- Internal renewable water resources: 95 km3
Production constraints
Both the harvested area and yield of rice have remained more or less unchanged, indicating an urgent need for the creation of dynamic rice research and development programs. There are several constraints to sustainable rice production in Bhutan: - Low temperature at high altitude
- Most rice soils are sandy loams or loams with low fertility
- Weeds, especially Potamogeton distinctus; insects; and diseases, especially blast
- Rural poverty
- Inadequate infrastructure and inadequate credit and input supply
- Poor transportation and distribution systems
Production season | | | | Planting | Harvesting | Main season | Apr-Jun | Aug-Nov | Basic statistics, Bhutan |
| 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | Rice | Area harvested (ha) | 32,000 | 26,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | Yield (t/ha) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | Production (t) | 62,000 | 43,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | Rice imports (t) | 10,000 | 19,433 | 24,944 | 9,700 | 9,600 | na | Rice exports (t) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 40 | na | Others | Population, total (x103) | 1,486 | 1,696 | 1,847 | 2,004 | 2,064 | na | Population, agriculture (x103) | 1,400 | 1,597 | 1,735 | 1,880 | 1,936 | na | Agricultural area (x103 ha) | 396 | 403 | 423 | 460 | na | na | Irrigated agricultural area (x103 ha) | 30 | 39 | 39 | 40 | na | na | Total fertilizer consumption (t) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | na | na | Source: FAOSTAT online database. | Click here for a pdf of this information
|
