The first-ever Quinoa processing plant was launched yesterday in Phuentsholing to supply well-packaged Quinoa to the market and to the school feeding programme. The Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCBL) set up the plant with fund support of Nu.3.4 million from the Department of Trade.
The plant can process 500 kgs of Quinoa per hour improving the quality of final products which will come in a packet of 1 kg.
Quinoa often called as I ‘Superfood’ is one of the world’s popular foods. It is gluten-free, rich in protein and one of the few plant foods that contain sufficient amounts of all nine essential amino acids.
It was introduced in Bhutan in 2015 from Peru to diversify the farmer’s traditional cropping system and enhance the food and nutritional security of the Bhutanese people. It also serves as a new climate-resilient crop as it can withstand cold temperatures.
Since its inception, Quinoa production has been steadily increasing as it is grown in all 20 Dzongkhags. The country produced 37.16 MT of Quinoa in 2018-2019. Today, it is grown in an estimated area of 600 acres of land.
With the processing plant in place, it is expected that farmers will have better market opportunities for Quinoa.
According to a spokesperson, there is a high demand for Quinoa in both the domestic and international markets with people increasingly becoming more health-conscious. It can be added to any meal including breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as used as a part of dessert to increase the nutritional value.
-ICTD
Photo courtesy: FCBL
