Bhutan: Poor yields hit mandarin exporters
This season, the orange depots in Phuentsholing did not get enough oranges . Although the market is good at the moment, exporters say the supply of oranges from the orange producing areas across the country is down by about 60 to 70 percent.
Sources told kuenselonline there seem to be varying reasons for the drop in production. It could be climate change that changed the patterns of rain and weather. Several water sources have also dried up and the trees have died. And then trees at a slightly higher altitude, where oranges formerly did not grow, have started to bear fruit. Finally, sources say some orchards are just too old. Some think it’s time for the orange orchards to replace the old trees with new ones.
