DoL

A three day writeshop on the Rainbow Trout Production and Extension Manual is in progress in Haa from 8-10 December 2025. The workshop brings together technical officials from national aquaculture and fisheries centres to consolidate emerging standards for cold water aquaculture in Bhutan. The 13th Five Year Plan highlights diversification of the livestock sector, development of high value products, enhancement of rural incomes, and strengthening of climate responsive agricultural systems. Within this national framework, the Department of Livestock has identified aquaculture development as a strategic priority to expand domestic fish production, improve nutritional security, and create new income opportunities for rural communities. The manual is being developed to advance these priorities by providing clear technical guidance that can increase aquaculture outputs, strengthen technical services, and promote sustainable use of natural resources.

The manual is being designed as an operational reference for Livestock Supervisors involved in field and central programs. It brings together current technical knowledge on habitat conditions, development stages, production systems, feeding strategies, biosecurity measures, and other essential considerations required for efficient and dependable production. It is also being shaped to support both technical staff and aspiring rainbow trout farmers with practical tools and decision making frameworks that can guide implementation on the ground.

In addition, the manual is being structured to provide comprehensive guidance for establishing and technically designing rainbow trout farms. This includes engineering specifications, layout templates, and operational workflow models suited to Bhutan’s hydrological conditions. The development process is being carried out jointly by technical officials from the Department of Livestock, the National Livestock Research Centre, the National Development Centre for Aquaculture, and the National Research Development Centre for Riverine and Lake Fisheries as the technical lead. The initiative is funded by FAO Bhutan through FAO TCP 3903 Output 3, enabling the incorporation of international best practices while ensuring relevance to national development goals and aquaculture realities.

Wangduephodrang commenced the implementation of the Farm Registration System on 22 November, following the training provided to the Gewog Livestock Supervisors.

𝐀 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝟑𝟎 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞. Of these, 24 are pig farms and 6 are poultry farms. The Dzongkhag has recorded 1,194 pigs, including 679 animals under 11 pig breeding farms and 515 animals under 13 pig fattening farms.

The poultry sector has also been systematically recorded. Four layer farms have been registered with a combined population of 5,800 birds. Two broiler farms have registered 720 birds, bringing the total poultry population to 6,520. At present, there are no native poultry farms or native pig farms registered.

Wangduephodrang has a total of 𝟓𝟐 𝐩𝐢𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟒 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫, 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝟒𝟔.𝟏𝟓%. The Dzongkhag also has 𝟐𝟔 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝟔 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟑.𝟎𝟖%. This demonstrates gradual but steady advancement in the rollout of the Farm Registration System following the recent training of Gewog Livestock Supervisors.

The introduction of the Farm Registration System marks a significant step in strengthening structured data management in the Dzongkhag. It supports accurate planning and enables the targeted delivery of livestock services, ensuring that future national programs, including cost sharing, insurance, veterinary services, and input support, are based on reliable and real time farm level information.