Thimphu – Policy and decision-makers as well as local development officials in Bhutan now have access to comprehensive and updated statistical agriculture information.

Bhutan's minister of agriculture, His Excellency Dr Pema Gyamtsho launched CountrySTAT-Bhutan on March 10 in the presence of representatives of international organizations and the media at a function at the ministry in Thimphu.

Developed over the past year and a half with financial and technical support from the FAO-Netherlands Partnership Programme (FNPP), CountrySTAT-Bhutan aims to provide reliable information on key sectors of the country’s agriculture-dependent economy to relevant stakeholders.

In his keynote address, the minister emphasized the importance of not only regularly updating the statistical information but also making all potential users aware that the information is now available and should be used.

Food and livelihood security in the small Himalayan kingdom is predominantly dependent on farming and pastoralism.

CountrySTAT-Bhutan will complement and be compatible with FAO’s FAOSTAT data base. Data are classified by national, Dzongkhag (district) and Geogs (sub-district) levels, with national-level data shared with FAOSTAT.

An Internet-based system for dissemination of harmonized national food and agricultural statistical data along with metadata for analysis and policy making, CountrySTAT-Bhutan covers land use, crops, livestock and forest production, agricultural export and import, farm inputs, commodity prices, farm machinery and development infrastructure.

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. Most holdings are fragmented with small parcels of land in different locations.

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 agricultural infrastructure, distribution of agricultural inputs, farm productivity and the food security status of the country.

Bhutan is also a major horticultural exporter, 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.

CountrySTAT-Bhutan is available for the public, see the Internet link below.

For more information, contact Dorji Phintso, assistant FAO representative in Bhutan, email [email protected]

More information at:
http://www.rnrstat.bt/csbhutan/