Kabjisa gewog produced 1,258 tonnes of rice between 99 -05

16 March, 2009 - There are 9,727 yaks in Thimphu dzongkhag. Khenkhar gewog in Mongar has 42.08 hectares of land under buckwheat cultivation. Dopshari gewog produced 70.57 tonnes of apples last year and the price of a power tiller plough is Nu 9,600.

Such information is now just one or a few clicks away on the recently launched CountrySTAT-Bhutan, a web-based system for disseminating national food and agricultural statistical data along with metadata for analysis and policy making.

Developed over the past year and a half with financial and technical support from the FAO-Netherlands partnership program (FNPP), Country STAT-Bhutan aims to provide reliable information on key sectors of the country’s agriculture-dependent economy to relevant stakeholders. The system contains statistical data on land use, agricultural production (crops, livestock and forest), export and import of agricultural products, agricultural inputs, commodity prices, farm machinery, and development infrastructure.

With the launching of CountrySTAT-Bhutan, policy- and decision-makers, as well as local development officials, will now have access to comprehensive and updated statistical agriculture information needed for improved food and livelihood security in the country, states an agriculture ministry press release.

Agriculture minister, Lyonpo (Dr) Pema Gyamtsho launched the Country STAT-Bhutan on March 10. The minister emphasised the importance of not only regularly updating statistical information but also making all potential users, including international agencies and officials at the dzongkhag and gewog levels, aware that the information is now available.

CountrySTAT-Bhutan will complement and be compatible with FAO’s FAOSTAT database. Data is classified as per national, dzongkhag and gewog levels, with national-level data shared with FAOSTAT.

“District and gewog level data is highly useful for national planning and policy-making purposes, as well as for researchers and rural development projects. Data on land suited for agricultural production is vital in a country where farming is limited by steep and rugged mountain terrain, altitude and the high priority given to forest cover,” states the media release. “Forest-related data is needed to determine the quantity of wood being harvested for various purposes and the income generated by farmers from the sale of non-wood forest products.”

CountrySTAT-Bhutan will also provide statistics on distribution of agricultural inputs, including credit, which is needed to assess farm productivity and the food security status of the country. Information on agricultural infrastructure is useful for development planning and resource allocation.

Bhutan is also a major horticultural exporter with the Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCB) selling mainly to neighbouring India, but a sizeable quantity of apples, oranges, potatoes, mushrooms, lemon grass oil and cordyceps are also marketed to Bangladesh, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and China.