RENUKA RAI | Thimphu
Bhutan continues to rely heavily on imported food to meet the dietary needs of its population despite being self-sufficient in several agricultural commodities, according to the Bhutan Food Balance Sheet (FBS) 2024.
The report provides the country’s most comprehensive picture of food availability, production, imports, exports, consumption and nutrition. It shows that while Bhutan produces enough fruits, spices, potatoes and eggs to meet domestic demand and even exports some of these products the country remains highly dependent on imports for staple cereals, vegetable oils, sugar and several animal products.
The Food Balance Sheet, prepared using production, trade and utilization data, serves as an important planning tool for policymakers by assessing food availability, nutrition and the country’s food security.
According to the report, rice and maize remain Bhutan’s two most important cereal crops. In 2024, farmers produced 41,537 metric tonnes (MT) of rice from 9,112 hectares of cultivated land and 27,635 MT of maize from 7,531 hectares. Among vegetables, chilli remained the country’s leading crop with 5,596 MT produced from just 224 hectares, while carrots, beans and cauliflower also made significant contributions.
Fruit production also remained strong. Bhutan harvested 20,830 MT of oranges from 1,887 hectares, making oranges the country’s most important fruit crop. Apples ranked second with 2,102 MT produced from 411 hectares, while mangoes, guavas, pears, peaches and pineapples added to overall fruit production. Livestock production included 44,000 MT of milk, 4,908 MT of eggs, 1,419 MT of cattle meat, 1,555 MT of pork and 1,208 MT of poultry meat during 2024.
Despite these production figures, Bhutan continues to import a large share of its food. The report shows that cereals remain one of the country’s greatest vulnerabilities. Bhutan produced about 72,180 MT of cereals in 2024 but imported 138,659 MT, resulting in a self-sufficiency ratio of only 34.2 percent, while 65.8 percent of cereal supply depended on imports. Rice, Bhutan’s staple food, had a self-sufficiency ratio of only 40.3 percent, highlighting continued dependence on imported rice.
Import dependence is even higher for vegetable oils and sugar. Vegetable oils recorded a self-sufficiency ratio of just 11.7 percent, meaning nearly 88 percent of domestic supply came from imports. Sugar and sweeteners also remained heavily import dependent, with only 22 percent supplied domestically.
On the other hand, Bhutan demonstrated strong self-sufficiency in several commodities. The report found that spices, starchy roots, tree nuts, fruits and alcoholic beverages all recorded self-sufficiency ratios exceeding 100 percent, indicating production exceeded domestic requirements. Eggs also achieved near-total self-sufficiency, while meat and milk continued to rely partly on imports.
Food utilization patterns presented in the report reveal that the majority of agricultural production ultimately reaches consumers.
About 64 percent of cereals, 84 percent of vegetables, 84 percent of vegetable oils, 95 percent of sugars, and 46 percent of roots and tubers available in Bhutan were used for human consumption during 2024. The remaining supplies were allocated to livestock feed, seed, processing, losses and other non-food uses.
The report estimates that food losses remain significant across the supply chain. In 2024, losses were estimated at 9 percent for cereals, 11 percent for roots and tubers, 6 percent for vegetables, 13 percent for fruits, 4 percent for vegetable oils and 4 percent for milk. These losses occur before food reaches consumers and do not include household food waste.
Livestock feeding also accounts for a considerable share of agricultural production. Around 11 percent of cereals, 10 percent of vegetables, 2 percent of fruits and 2 percent of roots and tubers were used as animal feed, particularly maize for poultry and vegetables and potatoes for pig farming.
The Food Balance Sheet further highlights the foods most available to Bhutanese consumers. Average annual food availability reached 193.7 kilograms per person for cereals, 54.2 kilograms for vegetables and 42.8 kilograms for alcoholic beverages, making cereals by far the dominant component of the national diet. Among animal products, annual per capita availability averaged 82 kilograms of milk, 12.6 kilograms of meat and 6.4 kilograms of eggs.
In terms of nutrition, the report shows a slight decline in the country’s dietary energy supply. Average daily dietary energy supply fell from 2,964 kilocalories per person in 2021 to 2,768 kilocalories in 2024. Although still above the minimum energy requirement for most adults, the downward trend indicates changes in food availability and consumption patterns. Most dietary energy continued to come from plant-based foods, which contributed 2,444 kilocalories, while animal products accounted for 323 kilocalories per person per day.
Cereals remained the primary source of calories, contributing 66 percent of total dietary energy or approximately 1,689 kilocalories per person each day. Vegetable oils accounted for 17 percent, while sugar and sweeteners contributed 7 percent.
Protein intake followed a similar trend. Plant-based foods supplied about 44 grams of protein per person per day, compared with 19 grams from animal products. Cereals alone accounted for around 80 percent of plant protein intake, while milk contributed the largest share of protein among animal products.
Fats available for consumption also came mainly from plant sources. Vegetable oils accounted for approximately 80 percent of plant-based fat supply, while milk products represented the largest source of fats among animal products, followed by animal fats and meat.
The findings underline both Bhutan’s agricultural strengths and its continuing food security challenges. While domestic production remains strong for fruits, potatoes, spices and eggs, heavy reliance on imports for cereals, edible oils, sugar and some livestock products expose the country to international price fluctuations and supply disruptions.
The report suggests that improving agricultural productivity, reducing post-harvest losses, strengthening storage systems and expanding domestic production of key staple foods could help improve national food self-sufficiency. At the same time, maintaining balanced nutrition will require continued investment in both crop and livestock production to ensure Bhutan’s food system remains resilient in the face of climate change, changing consumption patterns and global market uncertainties.
As Bhutan pursues its long-term food and nutrition security goals, the Food Balance Sheet provides policymakers with an essential evidence base for designing agricultural, trade and nutrition policies that balance domestic production with strategic imports while ensuring adequate food is available for the population.
