Ropai: An ancient tradition of annual paddy cultivation in Bhutan

Thimphu [Bhutan], July 21 (ANI): Over a thousand rural villages in Bhutan’s Dagana district eagerly anticipate Ropai, the annual paddy cultivation.

The farmers are entirely immersed in this old custom and participate in activities related to tending to seedlings in nurseries to transplanting and harvesting, according to Bhutan Live.
The pleasant scent of fresh earth fills the air in the peaceful and charming village of Dogak, which is tucked away in the centre of Dagana. During this time of the year, terraces are painstakingly readied for the spectacular paddy plantation show and farmers carefully turning the dirt, marking it and planting saplings there.

According to Bhutan Live, Khem Lal Poudel, a venerable 77-year-old farmer, is one of Dogak’s few senior residents still living in the area. Poudel has spent his whole life perfecting the skill of paddy farming.

“Guided by my father, I learned the ancient art of rice farming, carrying forward the techniques passed down through generations,” Bhutan Live quoted Poudel as saying.

In order to save time on transportation, Poudel notes that the Ropai tradition starts with planting by throwing the sapling bundle onto the terraces. Poudel has seen a dramatic change in the way paddy is grown throughout the years.

It is undeniable that automation and technological improvements have made the labour less strenuous. Thanks to motorised tillers and transplanters in some places, jobs that used to take a whole day can now be finished in a matter of hours, Bhutan Live reported.

From finishing the entire farming cycle, to growing seedlings through transplanting and the abundant harvest, Poudel needed at least 150 labourers in his prime. However, the productivity of the land has drastically decreased as a result of numerous difficulties including landslides, road building, invasion by wild carnivores, and a lack of farmworkers.

However, Poudel is not particularly concerned about the drop in paddy production.

His main worry is that the village’s traditional way of life is fading. The villagers, however, honour their history and welcome the future as they come together for another season of paddy production, clinging tenaciously to the love and custom that have shaped their lives for centuries.