By Samten Yeshi

THE popular Bumthap khule (buckwheat pancakes) and puta (buckwheat noodles) are delicacies today and served only on occasions.

The dish could completely disappear from the table if buckwheat cultivation is not revived in the dzongkhags, say farmers.

Sonam Chigthuen Rangzhin tshogpa (SCRT) of Jalikhar, a farmer group, is trying to revive the cultivation of the crop, which Bumthaps have relied for generations as a staple food crop.

"Had the national biodiversity centre (NBC) and the agriculture division of Bumthang not gone from house to house to collect grains, we wouldn't have realised that buckwheat is out of production in the dzongkhag," said a member of the tshogpa, Sonam Tobgay, 58.

"When officials came to collect grains, no one had a single grain to contribute. Puta and khule could have become history," he said.

This trend, according to Sonam, was commercialisation of agriculture, especially the advent of a cash crop like potatoes in Bumthang.

"Cash crop has overtaken food crop and, when paddy cultivation was introduced in Bumthang, farmers forgot to cultivate buckwheat as dry land were converted to wetland and potato fields."

Although buckwheat is a staple food crop, the lack of commercial value has led to its decline.

Many farmers, said another farmer, shifted to potato and rice cultivation.

"The decline started about three decades ago, when potato was introduced as a cash crop," he said.

Although a few cultivated barley and buckwheat side by side to prevent their land from falling fallow, mass potato cultivation drove out buckwheat.

"If this project (reviving buckwheat cultivation) didn't happen, in a few years buckwheat cultivation would have vanished from Bumthang, at least from around Chamkhar," said a farmer, Kezang Dema.

The 15-member farmer's group in Jalikhar are aware of buckwheat and trying to revive the cultivation with the NSB.

"We realised that buckwheat is a very nutritious diet and will promote cultivation of buckwheat on a commercial scale," said Sonam Tobgay who is the chairman of the group.

They bought over 700 dres of bitter and sweet buckwheat last year from Tang, Ura and other parts of Bumthang.

One drey is about 1.5 kg.

"This year we'll cultivate about 24 acres of our own land and we'll buy from other cultivators as well," said Sonam Tobgay.

The project is funded by NBC and monitored and facilitated by the dzongkhag agriculture office.

The local crop conservation project will have good scope of promoting local crops into the market, as well as protect an old age culture, according to the assistant agriculture officer in Bumthang, Gelong.

Farmers said buckwheat is associated with Bumthap culture and, if not preserved and promoted, a rich heritage would be lost.

For instance, said a farmer, Phurba, there are local methods of harvesting, and beating the grains with traditional tools, which is a part of the local culture.

"One day the youth might not even know how to harvest these crops," he said.

Meanwhile, members of the tshogpa were trained in baking buckwheat cakes and cookies.

The flour will be packed and sold in the market to sustain the conservation project and promote local crops.

It piloted last year through participation in several food festivals. Production will start soon this year, according to officials.