Support to Bio Bhutan BH 37
Phase I : January 2005 to December 2011
Loan : CHF 171,818
Partner : Bio Bhutan, Thimphu.
Contact : Karma Yangzom; karma1 ( ) druknet.bt; http://www.biobhutan.com
Helvetas (Swiss Association for International Cooperation) provided a loan of Nu. 5,669,993 (equivalent to CHF 171,818) to Bio Bhutan (BB) in January 2005. The project goals are to contribute to the sustainable use of natural resources of Bhutan; improve income and employment opportunities of rural communities and private entrepreneurs; create surplus value for final consumers through healthy and tasteful produces from Bhutan and promote the image of Bhutan as a supplier of natural and organic certified products.
To achieve the goals, the
project concentrates on the following main group of activities:
Identification of potential agricultural or forestry products and relevant producer farmer groups raw materials. Current Bio Bhutan products are: lemon grass air spray, organic certified lemon grass oil, Cordyceps sinensis, ginger powder and turmeric powder.
Training
of selected farmer groups on
cultivation/collection/processing
in accordance with organic principles;
Product development and packaging
Marketing of Bio Bhutan products in local and international markets;
Organic certification of products where required through recognized certification agencies;
Provision of services in the area of organic farming.
Outlook:
Diversification
of products: Bio Bhutan is currently under the process of developing
a herbal tea and wild honey. Trials for marketing ginger oil and
wintergreen oil are also underway.
The quantity of organic certified lemon grass oil exported by Bio Bhutan has increased from only 250 kg in 2005 to approximately 4 tons in 2008. This accounts for almost 50% of the total lemon grass oil production in Eastern Bhutan. The enterprise strives to continue increasing the quantity of export and ultimately market all of the oil produced in eastern Bhutan.
Establishment of Bio Bhutan as a provider of quality services in the field of organic farming.