MY 200 DAYS REPORT CARD IN CIVIL SERVICE. (1st January- 20th July, 2013)

Having got an appointment letter from Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) of Bhutan as Civil Servant on 1^st January 2013, I started my service to TSA-WA-Sum (King, Country and People) with Oath Taking ceremony convened by RCSC.

As Post Production Officer under National Post Harvest Centre (NPHC), Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, I met and got introduced among NPHC fraternity. The head office of NPHC is in Paro, Bhutan and has three regional offices at Dagapela (Dagana), Shumar (Pema Gatshel) and Goling (Zhemgang). These three regional offices look after post production activities in Agricultural sector and value addition of fruits and vegetables in the Integrated Food Processing Plants.

Presently, I am posted in Integrated Food Processing Plant (IFPP) at Dagapela under Dagana Dzongkhag. As the mandate of National Post Harvest Centre backs, our regional office works to reduce post harvest losses of cereals, fruits and vegetables through trainings, value addition and introduction of post harvest technologies.Other important mandate of NPHC is to maximize food products from agriculture resources through research and development of appropriate post production technologies; post harvest and food processing.

Below is Integrated Food Processing Plant, NPHC (Dagapela);

Integrated Food Processing Plant.

During my 200 days in the service, I have learnt and achieved following works;

Gave technical support and guidance to Daga Shindrey Tshogpa (Farmers’ Group) in processing of products like orange pulp, bamboo shoot pickle, Dollai chilli pickle, sauerkraut, etc.

Product Profile

 Trained around 100 farmers on Food Safety and Value addition of agricultural produce.

Value Addition of farm produce.

Trained more than 100 farmers on Post Harvest Handling of oranges under both Tsirang and Dagana         Dzongkhags.

Farmers training.

Training on Post Harvest Handling of Citrus.

Gave Hands On Training of Deep fat frying machines to potato growing farmers’ group and potato growing farmers.

A Farmer operating a sealing machine.

    Monitored and follow up of construction of 30 improved maize and potato cold stores in villages under Tsirang and Dagana Dzongkhags.

Maize & Potato cold store.

Trained farmers on Zero Energy Cold Store (ZECS) facilities funded by SAARC Development Fund at IFPP centre.

Zero Energy Cold Store, (Through SAARC Development Fund)

    Developed new products like Rose syrup, Blended Herbal Rose & Mint tea under Post Production Research and Development mandate. Research on a pilot scale is under way on crab apple candy and juice.

Rose syrup

 Analytical food testing and recording the observations in the    laboratory.

    

 Some of the photos taken during field visits are;

Tent during tour.

Tour in Tsirang Dzongkhag.

Travelling in summer (Leeches).

With two senior most civil servants.

     My journey in the civil service of Bhutan has just begun...................................