September 1: The Paro International Airport now has a quarantine station. This will help monitor the entry of plant and livestock products. The Plant and Livestock Quarantine Station was formally inaugurated by the Agriculture Minister Lyonpo Dr. Pema Gyamtsho on Saturday.

Any import of agriculture and livestock products that come in via air will now have to pass through this quarantine station. This is to check and monitor the entry of pests and diseases from other countries into the kingdom.

The Agriculture Minister Lyonpo Dr. Pema Gyamtsho said with globalization the volume of trade in food, agriculture and livestock products is increasing. This has increased risk of pests and diseases from other countries coming to Bhutan.

He said Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA) has an important role in protecting Bhutan’s subsistence agriculture from pests and diseases since majority of the Bhutanese population are dependent on agriculture.

The Executive Director of the BAFRA Karma Dorji said in the past people who import plant, agriculture and animal products were asked to produce a disease free permit. If they fail to produce the permit, the goods were confisticated and dumped straight away by the authorities. He said with the facilities available now they can check for any pests and diseases.

The new quarantine station has a well equipped laboratory, separate place to quarantine livestock and plants, an administrative block and separate rooms for animals.