June 06, 2008-Phuentsholing: With dreams of better prices and unfulfilled hopes of a spacious auction yard, the annual auction season began here on Monday.

The auction kicked off with the auctioning of 50 packets of green peas each weighing 20 to 25 kilograms.

A kilogram of green peas fetched Nu 30 this year while it was only Nu 25 in 2007.

The senior manager of the cash crop division of Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCB), Sangay Wangdi, said the produces coming to the auction has been on a rise.

Cash crops have been fetching better prices in past three years which is encouraging farmers to hitch their wagons to Phuentsholing.

The busiest period is yet to come. By August, potato trucks will start arriving from Paro, Chhukha, Wangdue, Bumthang, Trongsa, Thimphu, Gasa and Haa.

Other farm produces such as early harvested potatoes, carrots, cabbages, chillies, beans, and radish will fight of better prices in the coming days.

 In terms of quantity, potato has been topping the list of produces auctioned.  In 2007, about 18,778.61 metric tons of potatoes were auctioned in Phuentsholing that fetched Nu 200.63 million, and about 2,837.75 metric tons in Samdrup Jongkhar that fetched Nu 30.75 million.

However, the farm produces increasing every year has also posed problem for the FCB because of the acute space crunch at the present auction yard which was built way back in 1982.

Sangay Wangdi said negotiations are in full swing with the government for the expansion of the auction yard.

On the prices of the goods, Sangay Wangdi said that it was only seasonal advantage the Bhutanese farmers have on other producers, and the price in Bhutan is determined mostly by the Indian market trends.

With the bumper harvest of potatoes in India this year, there are enough reasons to be worried for Bhutanese farmers. 

“The price of potato has come down to Nu 2 per kilogram. But, we will try our best as a trade facilitator,” said Sangay Wangdi.