News and Updates
De-suung National Service (DNS): Million Fruit Trees Plantation
The De-suung National Service: Million Fruit Trees Plantation was launched today at Yusipang, Thimphu Dzongkhag by Lyonpo Yeshi Penjor, the Minister of Agriculture and Forests.
Inspired by His Majesty’s vision, this initiative will help 140,827 rural farming households throughout the country to plant at least one million fruit trees. Its objective is to introduce technically suitable diverse high value fruit crops to enhance income of the rural households. 22 assorted fruits have been selected.
Based on the success of other De-suung National Service Projects and De-suung Skilling Program, this De-Suung National Service will also be undertaken by the De-suups. They will partner with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Local Governments, and other relevant agencies.
The programme will also skill De-suups in fruit crop management. The 233 De-suups who have been trained in land preparation for fruit tree plantation and management will now lead 1,334 De-suups for planting 439,804 temperate fruit trees and 1,991 De-suups for planting 560,495 subtropical fruit saplings.
In order to monitor the care and growth of the saplings, each one will be geo-coded using Smart App MoDA (Mobile Operation & Data Acquisition).
The fruit trees are expected to bear fruits within 3-4 years from the date of plantation. Therefore, the total production is estimated at 33,391 metric tonnes annually, contributing significantly to our national food and nutrition security besides enhancing rural income.
This De-suung National Service will provide opportunity for the youth to experience village society and appreciate the contributions made by rural communities to the nation as a whole.
