July 21, 2025
THIMPHU – Rice production and the number of rice growers in Bhutan have declined steadily in recent years, raising concerns over national food security.
The 2025 Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Census of Bhutan (IALC) attributes this trend to persistent labour shortages, shrinking farmland, and escalating conflict with wildlife.
Despite the continued centrality of rice in the Bhutanese diet, these structural challenges are weakening domestic production.
According to the IALC 2025, total cereal production in 2024 stood at 72,177 metric tonnes (MT), a 4.92 percent increase from 68,786MT in 2023.
Paddy, maize, wheat, barley, buckwheat, millet, and quinoa remain the primary cereal crops cultivated across the country. Among these, rice continues to dominate in both acreage and cultural significance.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock estimated paddy production by multiplying the harvested area per household with crop cut yields reported at the gewog level.
This year, Bhutan produced 41,352.28MT of irrigated paddy and 185MT of upland paddy, totalling 41,537.28MT. While irrigated paddy production increased by 1.94 percent (789MT) compared to 2023, upland paddy production saw a sharp decline of 23 percent (56MT).
Paddy was cultivated in all 20 dzongkhags, including on government farms, making it the most widely grown cereal crop in the country. There are currently 20,920 paddy growers cultivating 23,633 acres of land. Punakha dzongkhag emerged as the top producer with 8,027.35MT of paddy, reaffirming its title as Bhutan’s rice bowl. In contrast, Pemagatshel recorded the lowest production at just 47MT.
Over the past five years, the number of paddy growers has shown a clear downward trend. From 23,620 irrigated paddy farmers in 2021, the figure dropped to 20,920 in 2024. Upland paddy growers declined even more sharply—from 1,907 in 2020 to just 825 in 2024.
According to the National Plant Protection Centre (NPPC), rice provides 53 percent of the daily dietary energy for Bhutanese people. However, domestic production meets only 45 percent of the country’s rice requirement. The remainder is imported, mostly from India.
“However, the country is only 45 percent self-sufficient, and the remaining requirement is met through imported rice, mainly from India,” the NPPC stated.
Most of the rice cultivated in Bhutan is consumed domestically, either for household use or local sale. However, several constraints are making cultivation increasingly unviable. These include rice blast (a fungal disease), lack of irrigation, labour shortages, and worsening human-wildlife conflict—particularly crop raids by elephants and wild boars.
Urbanisation and shifting socio-economic conditions have further reduced arable land and discouraged cultivation.
Rice in Bhutan is grown across diverse altitudes—from the tropical lowlands of 200 metres above sea level in the south to warm temperate areas at around 2,700 metres in the north. In 2013, the largest rice-growing dzongkhags were Samtse (5,682 hectares), Punakha (5,074 hectares), and Wangdue (4,202 hectares).
Today, most farmers cultivate Bhutanese modern rice varieties such as Bajo Maap 1 and 2, Bajo Kaap 1 and 2, Yusi Ray Maap, and Yusi Ray Kaap.