Jamyang Tenzin’s DRUK ARACHIS Peanut Processing Unit Bridges Gap in the Agricultural Sector
Jamyang Tenzin, 32 is from Tsholing, Lhuentse Dzongkhag. He completed class 12 in 2013 from Lhuentse HSS. He served in civil service for more than 8 years under the Ministry of Education and Bhutan Football Federation. Jamyang is the eldest sibling and they were brought up by a single mother. They lost their
father when Jamyang was five to six years old.
He started his business DRUK ARACHIS, Peanut Processing Unit officially in August 2022 with his four Desuup Nyamros. He shared, “I am from the remote district and rural village under Lhuentse and I have
much background in working in the agricultural field and I am very much interested in doing physical work. Being a youth in our country I can see many farmers are cultivating varieties of cash crops which is for their commercial purpose but many farmers’ fails, as there is no proper place to sell their products. So, I decided to fill up the gap and started my Entrepreneur journey based on farmers’ benefits and I am helping more than 1000 farmers across the country.”
Currently, Jamyang is producing more than six different types of products from peanuts. “Products that I manufactured are Coated peanut, Roasted Salted peanut, Peanut Ezay, Peanut Butter, Peanut candy, Roasted peanut with shell, Roasted peanut without shell, and Peanut cookies. I have different prices depending on products and package size. Price range from Nu. 15 to Nu. 240 per packet as of now in the market. The price of products that I charged currently is only the minimum I can say,” he claimed.
Jamyang shared he is grateful to the Desuung Skilling Program (DSP) Office for giving chance to carry out the skilling training on PEANUT PROCESSING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT training at his peanut processing unit. Without training and hands-on practice, he cannot produce his products up to customer expectations and what he is thinking. As of now, Jamyang is supplying to Tashiyangtse and nearby Dzongkhags, he is also trying to sell his products through social media platforms.
“Being an entrepreneur, challenges are one of the threats that check entrepreneurs’ passion and hard work. In my journey as an entrepreneur, I have faced lots of challenges that keep me from competing my daily work. The first challenge that I faced was the financial crisis which plays a vital role in the entrepreneur’s life. The second challenge is technical issues. For now, I have only basic machinery which is supported by OGOP, Ramco, and Dzongkhag Agriculture office but I am looking to upgrade my machine for better production. The third challenge is marketing, in our country there is no proper market for our products. Therefore customers don’t know about our local products.”
Although Jamyang is uncertain about the future that his products can reach the international market, he is hopeful about what holds for him shortly. He is working hard to make people aware of his products in our society and then to international markets. “This is just the start of my entrepreneurial journey. I have lots of plans which will benefit youths and farmers in our country. One of the plans that will soon start is the extraction of peanut oil which is healthy and nutritious for our health,” He added.
The DRUK ARACHIS processing unit has been instrumental in supporting the cultivation of peanuts in Tashiyangtse since its establishment says people from Tashiyangtse. Jamyang also provides training and skills to those who are interested in doing business when he gets time. Jamyang Tenzin hasn’t thought about what does word entrepreneur means but he shared that entrepreneurs are taking risks in life and coming up with new ideas in the market to solve the problem.
“I am not a professor nor a senior entrepreneur but what I learned in a few years of my entrepreneur journey, I will advise some valuable and important words for our young and future entrepreneurs of country. Getting inside the journey of an entrepreneur is not easy way but if you are committed and dedicated you will see the entrepreneur’s life is an interesting one. So, I would like to say you need to explore and analysis on your business idea and come up with ideas to solve problems in society.”
The initiates of Jamyang Tenzin by establishing DRUK ARACHIS helped farmers in Tashiyangtse to sell their peanuts not only address crucial economic and social challenges but also support sustainable agriculture practices. By providing farmers with access to markets and fair prices. Today DRUK ARACHIS contributes to the empowerment and prosperity of rural communities while promoting the growth of a more resilient agriculture sector.
By Rinzin Dema
