Cotton yarn processing machines give hope to Bhutan's Bangyul

Cotton yarn processing machines have given hope to Bhutan's Bangyul as processing cotton yarn manually is not easy. The new machines are Bangyul's new manpower and it is what motivated the members to come back to work, The Bhutan Live reported.

Bangyul is a remote region in the Bhutanese district of Pema Gatshel.

The ancestors of Bangyul worked in cotton fields and weaved their clothes. In recent years, only Bangyul Kapa Detshen kept the tradition going but they too closed their shops during COVID-19 pandemic. However, they are back in business due to the cotton yarn processing machines.

Tashi Choden, the Chairperson of the Bangyul Kapa Detshen yarn processing group said: "After receiving this machine, we can finish a year's work of ginning and carding in a day."

The group sells its yarn primarily in Thimphu. They also take orders to make finished products.

The group presently has five members and seven more will be joining the group soon. The group was formed by the Tarayana Foundation to promote indigenous products and empower women in the village in 2019.

Another member of the group, Shanki said that: "There is a difference while spinning yarn from carded cotton with a machine and doing it manually. It is soft and easy with the carding machine."

"We can spin yarn in equal sizes when carding and ginning are done with the machine. So, when we weave it looks beautiful," said Wangmo, another member.

According to The Bhutan Live, the new machines gave the Bangyul Kapa Detshen hope. A hope to increase production and earn some more.

"Due to Covid, we could not cultivate cotton for a few years and could not make the products. This year, we want to start cultivation again. And we have also recruited additional members now. After receiving the machines, we can do other farming works at the same time," the group's Chairperson said, as quoted by The Bhutan Live.

The Bhutan Live recently reported that the Toedpisa Gewog's Bjichulum vegetable market area in Bhutan's Punakha is bustling with vegetable sellers and buyers. With the market near the highway, it has become convenient for both customers and vendors.

Farmers in the locality are also happy due to the booming business as they do not have to transport their produce to other market areas.