10 October 2026Thimphu, Bhutan
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Kuensel

Protect chhuzhing before it is too late

Bhutan is losing its paddy land faster than it is protecting it. The country has recorded 868 cases of structures built on chhuzhing (wetland) without prior approval. Rice self-sufficiency has fallen to 25 percent, and the country spends billions of ngultrum each year importing the grain it once grew itself.