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Bhutan may not be one of the most developed countries but one of the happiest countries in the world and now the people of this happy country are unhappy with the rising food price. Bhutan imports most of its food products from India. India’s rising price is also affecting Bhutan. The rising food price has forced to change the lifestyle of the Bhutanese people.

Kuensel online reports:

“Rising food prices are here to stay for some time,” said the NSB director, Kuenga Tshering. “It’s happening the world over.”

Bhutan imports 90 percent of its consumables from India, where inflation has hit a record 6.6 percent. Bhutan has imported vegetable fats and oils worth Nu 4,258,648 and cereals worth Nu 602,964,087, according to the Bhutan trade statistics in 2006.

A shopkeeper in Chubachu, Thimphu, told Kuensel that the rise in price of rice, edible oils and dairy products has led to a few misunderstandings with some consumers. Tshering Lhamo, a wholesaler at Chorten Lam, said food prices have been steadily going up for the past year.

Rising food price in neighboring China and India has started to affect the people of Bhutan. According to Kuenga Tshering, director of National Statistics Bureau, rising number of population and declining agricultural production are the major reasons behind this price surge. He also believes that use of crops for producing bio-fuel has contributed to this rise as well.

It is time for countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka that import food from India to think of other alternatives. However, in the long run, I think, these countries should focus on checking the uncontrolled growth of their population. Unchecked growth of population will drive the demand of food which would also have adverse effect on the economic growth of these countries.

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Kuensel online