Apple CultivationIn Bhutan

Occasional Publication No. 1, September 2015
Centre for Rural Development Studies, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Royal University of Bhutan

Apple Cultivation in Bhutan - Past Trends and Future Potential

Jigme Choden1 and Shahnawaz2

1 College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan, Lobesa, Bhutan
Correspondence: [email protected]

2 Interfaculty Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Austria.

Abstract:

Bhutan has an advantage of growing apples in its relatively pristine environment. Apples provide
higher economic returns which will help in poverty alleviation of the farmers and achieving food
security for themselves. The climatic conditions in the three Dzongkhags in the western Bhutan
namely Thimphu, Paro and Haa support apple cultivation. There were 1633 Hectares under apple
trees in these Dzongkhags in 2010. The physical factors like elevation, slope and aspect as well as
land use land cover were considered for identifying the areas suitability for cultivation of apples in
these Dzongkhags. The results show that 2452 Hectares in the three Dzongkhags are suitable for
further expansion of apple cultivation which is 59% increase over the total area under apple or-
chards in 2010. Thimphu Dzongkhag has the highest potential of expansion and Haa the lowest.

Key Words: Apple Cultivation, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Horticulture in Bhutan,
Land Use Land Cover, Suitability Analysis.

Introduction
Horticulture contributes a significant part in the cash crops of Bhutan and plays an important

role in food and nutritional security of the farmers (Sharma and Panigrahy, n.d). In the past, fruit
production was limited to self-consumption by the farmers due to the constraints imposed by
non-availability of transportation facilities and market inaccessibility. The expansion of road
network and improvements in the transportation facilities have enhanced the accessibility to
market. As a result, the apple growing farmers have received higher returns on their fruit prod-
ucts. The demand of apples is increasing in the market and this has motivated many farmers to
plant apple trees. As a result, the area under apple cultivation has increased much faster than the
cereal production in Bhutan (Nkonya et al., 2014).

Bhutan has potential of producing high quality apples in a clean environment and the apple
growing season in Bhutan is different as compared to the neighbouring countries. This provides
an opportunity of promoting a brand of Bhutanese fresh apples in otherwise off-season for apples
in the surrounding regions and fetch higher economic returns from export. This requires identifi-
cation of the suitable areas for expanding apple cultivation in Bhutan. However, it requires a
field based study and experimentation on testing plots in all the areas which is not feasible due to
the lack of time, capital and human resources. Alternatively, Geospatial Information System
(GIS) has been used as a cost cutting and effective approach for identification of the areas suita-
ble for apple cultivation in the western Bhutan.

Horticulture in Bhutan began in 1960s during the reign of the Father of the Nation, the third
King of Bhutan Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. He saw the agro-ecological variations in the Kingdom
as a great scope for horticulture development and envisaged that different fruits can be grown at
different altitudes and different climatic conditions prevalent in different regions of Bhutan
(MoA, 1994 and 1996). That is the time when the apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivation

65

Proceedings of the Conference on ‘Climate Change, Environment and Development in Bhutan’
2-3 April, 2015, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu, Bhutan
Editors: Shahnawaz and Ugyen Thinley

Occasional Publication No. 1, September 2015
Centre for Rural Development Studies, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Royal University of Bhutan

was first introduced in Bhutan. The initial cultivars of apples were imported from the two apple
growing Northern Indian States i.e. Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The new im-
proved cultivars from Japan were brought to Bhutan only in 1980s (Dorji, n.d; Rai, 2014).

About 1,737 Hectares were under 477,787 apple trees in 2011 out of which 378,326 were in
fruit bearing stage. This means there are about 275 apples trees per hectare and fruit bearing tress
are about 79 percent. The total apple production was 7,374 metric tons with an average yield of
19 kilogrammes per fruit bearing tree (YREP, 2012 p.38). The three Dzongkhags in the western
Bhutan i.e. Thimphu, Paro and Haa have emerged as the major apple growing areas and these
contribute about 90 percent of total apples production in the country. The main cultivars of apple
are red delicious, royal delicious and golden delicious and these account for over 80 percent of
the total apple trees in Bhutan (MoA, 1996). The harvesting season starts from August in the
lower parts of these Dzongkhags and extends up to October in the higher parts (Dorji, n.d). The
major apple export markets of Bhutan are India and Bangladesh (Chhetri, 2009).

Apples have emerged as an important cash crop in Bhutan and this has enhanced the food se-
curity of the farmers. Food security depends mainly on three factors i.e. food availability, food
accessibility and food utilization. The availability and accessibility of food is influenced by the
economic conditions of the people. The export of apples has increased the income of the apple
growing farmers which in turn has increased their food security. Therefore, the expansion of
apple cultivation will not only improve food security of the farmers but also enhance the liveli-
hood and employment opportunities for many others as well as contribute to the national income
(Sharma and Panigrahy, n. d.).

Study Area
The three major apple producing Dzongkhags in Bhutan, i.e. Thimphu, Paro and Haa (Map 1)

have been selected as the focus area in this study. The combined geographical area of these
Dzongkhags is 5003 km2 (NSB, 2014) and their population is 1819, 1285 and 1899 persons re-
spectively (OCC, 2006). The study area is situated in the temperate zone and its elevation rang-
ing from 500 to 7500 m. The average daily temperatures vary from 5 0C in January to 25 0C in
July (MoA, 1994) and this range is considered very suitable for apple cultivation. Thimphu and
Paro Dzongkhags have good road network and convenient means of transportation which facili-
tate easier access to market as well as to other relevant facilities such as research centres, agricul-
ture-related corporations and financial institutions.

Map 1. Location of Study area in the Western Bhutan

66

Proceedings of the Conference on ‘Climate Change, Environment and Development in Bhutan’
2-3 April, 2015, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu, Bhutan
Editors: Shahnawaz and Ugyen Thinley

Occasional Publication No. 1, September 2015
Centre for Rural Development Studies, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Royal University of Bhutan

Geospatial Data
This study is based on 2 types of spatial datasets i.e. Digital Elevation Model (ASTER

GDEM) of 30 meter ground resolution and Land Use Land Cover (LULC) data of 1994 and
2010. All the three datasets have been obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,
Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu.

- ASTER GDEM has been used for deriving the physiographic parameters suitable for ap-
ple cultivation in the three Dzongkhags i.e. elevation, slope and aspect.

- LULC data has been used to identify the areas under apple cultivation in 1994 and 2010 as
well as to cross check if the physiographically suitable areas can be brought under the ex-
pansion of apple cultivation or not due to its overlap with other LULC types.

Suitability Criteria
The criteria used for identifying the suitable physiographic parameters i.e. elevation, slope,

and aspect as well as the potential LULC available for expansion of apple cultivation, i.e. Shrub
Areas, is given in Table 1.

Parameter Suitability Definition
Elevation 1800 to 3000 meters
Slope
Aspect 2 to 30 degrees
Land use land cover South Facing
Shrub Areas

Table 1. Suitability Criteria for Apple Cultivation

A very large proportion (i.e. 80%) of the apple varieties grown in Bhutan are royal delicious,
red delicious and golden delicious. These varieties require 700-800 hours of chilling below 7 0C
during winter to break the rest period. These conditions in Bhutan are found between 1800 and
3000 meters amsl. which falls in the temperate zone (Dorji, 1999; Tshering et al., 2011).

Slope is a crucial factor influencing the rate of water infiltration and runoff on a soil surface.
Although, the flat surface is also considered suitable for apple cultivation (RHS, 2015) but a
minimum of 2 degrees slope is considered more suitable for the movement of water (Harbut, n.
d.) avoiding water logging. The apple plantation in Bhutan is carried out by carving outward
sloping terraces and a maximum of 30 degrees slope was considered suitable for hard effort in
creating the terraces as well as for avoiding slope failure in the rainy season. Steeper slopes may
be also be used if appropriate land management is practised.

Exposure to direct sunrays enhances the incidence of early budding and flowering on the fruit
bearing trees. South facing slopes in the northern hemisphere are considered highly suitable for
apple cultivation. However, south facing slopes experience temperature fluctuations in winter
and possibilities of frost damage. This can be managed with cultivation of late blooming variety
to prevent frost damage (Harbut, n. d.).

Appropriate consideration of the existing LULC is important for avoiding any overlaps and
conflicts with other LULC classes e.g. the area under existing apple orchards cannot be consid-
ered as potential area for expansion. On the other side, it is self-explanatory that the built up are-
as, roads, water bodies, landslides prone areas and other non-built up areas are also not available
for expansion of apple cultivation. Although, some area currently under forest could be suitable
but forest clearing is not allowed in Bhutan so this area is not available. The only LULC class
which could be considered as potentially available for conversion in to apple orchards is the area
under shrub cover hence this has been included in the suitability analysis.

67

Proceedings of the Conference on ‘Climate Change, Environment and Development in Bhutan’
2-3 April, 2015, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu, Bhutan
Editors: Shahnawaz and Ugyen Thinley

Occasional Publication No. 1, September 2015
Centre for Rural Development Studies, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Royal University of Bhutan

Suitability Analysis
The composite analysis of all the factors given in Table 1 has been performed in ESRI

ArcGIS 10.3.1 by using ‘Model Builder’ (Fig 1).

Figure 1. Data Processing Work Flow in ArcGIS Model Builder

The final results were obtained with the help of ‘Weighted Overlay’ analysis and the weights
assigned to various factors are given in Table 2.

Parameter Weight / Influence
Elevation 20 percent
Slope 25 percent
Aspect 35 percent
Land use land cover 20 percent

Table 2. Weights Assigned to Various Factors

Results and Discussion
Along with the results of this study conducted for identifying the areas suitable for future ex-

pansion of apple cultivation, it is worth discussing the past expansion of this horticultural crop in
the study areas during the last decades.

In 1994, the total area under apple cultivation was only about 363 hectares the largest propor-
tion of which, i.e. 53.19 percent was situated in Thimphu and lowest proportion of about 5 per-
cent was in Haa Dzongkhag (Table 3 and Map 2). As mentioned previously, Thimphu and Paro
Dzongkhags have better road network as well as accessibility to market and horticulture exten-
sion services which have motivated the farmers to cultivate apples in these Dzongkhags.

Dzongkhag 1994 2010 Increase from Potential B+C Increase from
Thimphu
Paro (A) (B) A to B Area (C) (D) B to C
Haa 362.89 471.11 108.22 826.67 1189.56 826.67
Total (53.19%) (42.32%) (77.02%) (46.70%) (48.50%) (175.47%)
286.00 595.56 309.56 834.44 1120.44 834.44
(41.92%) (53.49%) (48.02%) (47.14%) (45.69%) (140.11%)
33.33 46.67 13.33 109.11 142.44 109.11
(4.89%) (4.19%) (71.42%) (6.16%) (5.81%) (233.81%)

682.22 1113.33 431.11 1770.22 5452.44 1770.22

(100%) (100%) (61.27%) (100%) (100%) (159.00%)

Table 3. Area Under Apple Cultivation (Hectares)

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Proceedings of the Conference on ‘Climate Change, Environment and Development in Bhutan’
2-3 April, 2015, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu, Bhutan
Editors: Shahnawaz and Ugyen Thinley

Occasional Publication No. 1, September 2015
Centre for Rural Development Studies, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Royal University of Bhutan

Map 2. Apple Growing Area – 1994 Map 3. Apple Growing Area – 2010

Map 4. Potential Apple Growing Area

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Proceedings of the Conference on ‘Climate Change, Environment and Development in Bhutan’
2-3 April, 2015, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu, Bhutan
Editors: Shahnawaz and Ugyen Thinley

Occasional Publication No. 1, September 2015
Centre for Rural Development Studies, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Royal University of Bhutan

There was an increase of about 431 hectares (i.e. 61.2%) in the total area under apple cultiva-
tion in Bhutan from about 682 Hectares in 1994 to about 1134 Hectares in 2010 (Table 3). The
highest increase of about 304 Hectares was recorded in Paro Dzongkhag and lowest increase of
13.33 Hectares in Haa Dzongkhag (Table 3 and Map 3). It may be mentioned that Haa is a rela-
tively remote Dzongkhag and the transportation facilities are not so convenient and efficient as
these are in the other two Dzongkhags.

The weighted overlay analysis was performed according to the criteria given in the Table 1
and Table 2. The results show that the potential area for further expanding apple cultivation in
the selected three Dzongkhags of the western Bhutan is about 1770 Hectares which means an
increase of 159 percent in the area under apple trees in 2010 (Table 3 and Map 4). The largest
share of the potential area, i.e. about 834 Hectares, is situated in Paro Dzongkhag followed by
Thimphu, i.e. about 827 Hectares, and Haa has only about 119 Hectares. If apple cultivation is
expanded on all the suitable areas, the apple growing areas in Thimphu will increase by about
175 percent, in Paro about 140 percent and in Haa about 234 percent. Paro and Thimphu Dzong-
khags will remain the major and Haa a minor apple producing area in the western Bhutan.

Bhutan 1737
1. Total Area under Apple Trees - 2011 (Hectares) 477787
2. Total Number of Apple Trees - 2011
3. Average Number of Apple Trees per Hectare - 2011 275

4. Total Number of Fruit Bearing Apple Trees - 2011 378326
5. Percentage of Fruit Bearing Trees to Total Apple Trees - 2011 79.18

6. Total Apple Production - 2011 (Metric Tons) 7374
7. Apple yield per Fruit Bearing Tree - 2011 (Kilograms) 19.49

Study Area 1770
8. Potential Area Suitable for Apple Cultivation (Hectare) 486935
9. Potential Number of Apple Trees 385562
10. Potential Number of Fruit Bearing Apple Trees
11. Potential Annual Apple Production (Metric Tons) 7326

Table 4. Apple Trees: Area, Number and Production

(based on the data reported by YREP, 2012)

The calculation given in Table 4 suggest that if apple trees are planted on all the areas poten-
tially suitable for apple cultivation, the three Dzongkhags of the western Bhutan i.e. Thimphu,
Paro and Haa will add about 7326 metric tons of apples to total apple production in Bhutan. It is
understandable that this huge amount can be produced only by the involvement of a large num-
ber of farmers and their economic returns from this cash crop will increase significantly.

Conclusions and Recommendations
Apple cultivation in the three Dzongkhags of the western Bhutan has been increasing consid-

erably since 1994. On the one side, improvements in the road network and transportation facili-
ties have facilitated access to the market places and, on the other side, closer location of the hor-
ticulture promoting and research facilities have motivated the farmers to grow apple trees along
with some other fruit trees. There is a tremendous potential of further expansion of apple cultiva-

70

Proceedings of the Conference on ‘Climate Change, Environment and Development in Bhutan’
2-3 April, 2015, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu, Bhutan
Editors: Shahnawaz and Ugyen Thinley

Occasional Publication No. 1, September 2015
Centre for Rural Development Studies, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Royal University of Bhutan

tion in the study area and this process will require involvement of a large number of farmers as
well as provide direct and indirect employment opportunities to many others. The economically
productive conversion of otherwise non-productive shrub areas will encourage the rural youth to
take up horticulture as a lucrative commercial activity and control rural-urban migration. The
higher economic returns from this cash crop will enhance the purchasing power of the farmers
and ensure food security to a significant level. Increased economic status will also improve the
living standards of the rural people to a certain extent.

The LULC data used for suitability analysis of apple cultivation dates back to 2010. Although
big LULC changes in the rural areas of Bhutan are very rare but some changes during the last 5
years are certainly expected. It is recommended that recent LULC data should be used for ob-
taining more precise results. The outcomes of a GIS based analysis should be cross validated
through a field work for identification of the priority areas within the total area suitable for apple
cultivation before planning any on-ground implementation project.

Acknowledgements
The authors express their thankfulness to the Austrian Development Cooperation office,

Thimphu, Bhutan and Commission for Development Research, Austria for co-funding the organ-
isation of the conference on ‘Climate Change, Environment and Development in Bhutan’. The
credit of organising organising the conference and publishing this volume goes to the joint ef-
forts of Centre for Rural Development Studies at the College of Natural Resources, Royal Uni-
versity of Bhutan and Interfaculty Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salz-
burg, Austria.

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Proceedings of the Conference on ‘Climate Change, Environment and Development in Bhutan’
2-3 April, 2015, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu, Bhutan
Editors: Shahnawaz and Ugyen Thinley

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Proceedings of the Conference on ‘Climate Change, Environment and Development in Bhutan’
2-3 April, 2015, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu, Bhutan
Editors: Shahnawaz and Ugyen Thinley