Disasters, Conflicts and Migration

For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please refer to the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters Country Profile.

Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities

Bhutan has four seasons:

• Spring (March, April and May),
• Summer (June, July and August),
• Autumn (September, October and November) and
• Winter (December, January and February).

Depending on the altitude, the climate varies from semi-tropical to alpine (For every 1,000 m height increase, the temperature drops about 6-7 degrees Celsius).

In Southern Bhutan, the climate is tropical in the monsoon season and may range from 15 degrees Celsius in winter to 30 degrees Celsius in summer.

The east is also warmer than the west, given it has a generally lower altitude.

The centre enjoys a sub-tropical climate with very cool winters while the northern parts of the country have a harsh climate including snowfall two to three times every winter.

Most storage areas visited during the research for the LCA were dry and well ventilated and in particular the Food Corporation of Bhutan Ltd. (FCBL). Apart from scarcity of transport during production season, the greatest “hazard” is the road distribution system. During the monsoon season, there are frequent road closures due to mud slides, rock slides and flash flooding.

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

GOVERNMENT

While Bhutan has a relatively small population (less than 1 million people), there are many ministries and departments involved in the bureaucratic chain to deal with emergencies including the Gross National Happiness Commission, the Department of Disaster Management, the Ministry of Health, the Department of Roads, the Department of Air Transport to the Ministry of Information and Communications. At the next level, there is the Bhutanese Army and the Bhutanese Police Force. At the next level there is the Indian Army and Dantak (a project of Indian Border Roads Organization) which is essentially the Indian Army as well.

All these organizations are manned by competent players who are very concerned about potential emergencies.

In 2013 the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) enacted the Disaster Management Act, National Disaster Risk Management Framework and Disaster Management Rules and Regulations. An Incident Command System (ICS) has been put in place for the national, district and sub-district levels, however the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) is yet to come up with a National Disaster Management Plan and Contingency Plan.

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Bhutan Government Contact List

HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY

Resident UN agencies in Bhutan are:

UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, WFP, FAO, UNWOMEN, UNODC

UNDP

UNDP assistance in Bhutan began with an initial allocation of USD 2.5 million for its first country programme (1973-1976) coinciding with the fifth and sixth Five Year Plans.  Prior to 1996, UNDP assistance primarily focused on civil aviation, telecommunications, private sector, energy, tourism and media. Currently, UNDP's supports also includes sustainable progress in people's lives, their needs, efforts and rights.

http://www.undp.org/content/bhutan/en/home/operations/about_undp/

UNICEF

UNICEF Bhutan works on four key programme areas, with a strong focus on equity and inclusion. These include health, nutrition and sanitation; quality education; child protection and youth participation; and planning, monitoring and communication for advocacy and promotion of behavioural and social change communication. HIV/AIDS prevention and care and gender are cross-cutting elements of the programme.

https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/bhutan.html

WHO

Bhutan formally joined WHO on 8 March 1982. However, the country had commenced to engage with WHO many years prior to this, the most significant being participation in the International Conference on Primary Health Care, in Alma Ata in September 1978. Bhutan formally adopted the Alma Ata Declaration of 'Health For All,' in 1979, as the guiding principle for the development of modern health services in the country. 

Within the context Bhutan joined WHO to seek its support and technical guidance to develop and promote a modern health care system in the country.

http://www.who.int/countries/btn/en/

UNFPA

The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

UNFPA expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives.

UNFPA’s partnership with the Royal Government of Bhutan started in the 1970s with the first country programme cycle in 1987.

http://bhutan.unfpa.org/

WFP

WFP supports the Government of Bhutan to become self-reliant in the management, coordination and implementation of a cost-effective, equitable and quality national school feeding programme.

The Government of Bhutan has been implementing school feeding for more than four decades and WFP support is gradually being phased out. The current development project is facilitating this transition process by transferring knowledge, systems and skills to the relevant government partners. The residual number of students supported by WFP is gradually reducing with responsibility being handed over to the Government on an annual basis. By the start of the 2019 school year, the responsibility for all schoolchildren will be covered by the Government.

http://www1.wfp.org/countries/bhutan

FAO

FAO assistance to Bhutan reflects national development strategies and is cantered on five priority areas: developing and implementing effective agricultural policies and legal frameworks and building institutional capacity for food security and nutrition; fostering multi-sectoral participation, coordination and value chain development in food and nutrition security programmes; strengthening information management and communication systems related to renewable natural resources; enhancing equitable, productive and sustainable natural resource management and community based enterprise development; addressing climate change and its impacts on agriculture and food and nutrition security.

http://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/index/en/?iso3=BTN

For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link:

4.2 Bhutan Humanitarian Contact List

Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA)

The Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA), Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, is the competent authority for biosecurity and food safety systems to promote the quality and safety of food and agricultural related products. The BAFRA was officially established as the Quality Control and Regulatory Services (QCRS) in August 2000.

The BAFRA is headed by a Director General and the agency has two divisions: the Quality Control and Quarantine Division (QCQD) and the Analytical and Certification Division (ACD). Apart from the head office, BAFRA has field offices in 20 Dzongkhags, Dungkhags, major entry points, minor entry points and other branch offices including the National Food Testing Laboratory (NFTL) at Yusipang, Thimphu.

 Mandate of BAFRA:

• Implement RNR (renewable natural resources) related legal instruments such as the Plant Quarantine Act, Seeds Act, Pesticide Act, Livestock Act, Food Act, National Biosafety Framework, Forest and Nature Conservation Act, Biodiversity Act and their secondary and tertiary legislations.
• Implement sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures effectively to protect the health and life of humans, plants and animals including the environment from risks of entry, establishment and spread of exotic pests and diseases.
• Function as a National Food Inspectorate to ensure that food is of good quality and safe for human consumption.
• Regulate and promote the quality of agriculture inputs (seeds, agro-chemicals, livestock, veterinary biological, etc.).
• Facilitate development of agro based industries to promote trade and market access through standardization and implementation of quality assurance systems.
• Function as the Competent Authority (CA) for implementation of the Biosafety Act for safe transfer, handling and use of Living modified Organisms (LMOs), Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and their products.
• Function as the Focal Points for International Organizations viz.,

• International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC),
• Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC),
• National Enquiry Point for World Trade Organization-Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (WTO-SPS agreement),
• International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) for International Health Regulations (IHR)
• Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) for Conventional Biodiversity (CBD)
  
  

Bhutan Standards Bureau (BSB)

The Bhutan Standards Bureau (BSB) was established as an autonomous organization in the year 2010 after the enactment of the Bhutan Standards Act 2010 on 7 July 2010, to foster and promote standards and standardization activities as a means of advancing the national economy, benefiting the health, safety and welfare of the public, assisting and protecting consumers, protecting natural environment, promoting industrial efficiency and development and facilitation of  domestic as well as international trade. BSB is now set to coordinate and oversee all standardization and conformity assessment activities in the country.

Mandate of the Bureau (as per Bhutan Standards Act 2010):

• Develop national standards and facilitate their implementation;
• Establish and operate metrological referral and calibration laboratories;
• Establish and operate product testing infrastructure;
• Carry out/operate product and management system certification schemes;
• Permit, coordinate and facilitate accreditation of laboratories and certification bodies;
• Promote quality and standardization;
• Oversee the implementation of Regional and International Trade Agreements related to standards and Technical Barriers to Trade; and
• Carry out such other mandate related to standardization and quality control including monitoring as may be assigned by the Royal Government

Bhutan Information Communications and Media Authority (BICMA)

The Bhutan Information Communications and Media Authority (BICMA) is an autonomous body that was formally de-linked from the Ministry of Information and Communication (MoIC) as of 1 January 2007 and it is the Communications and Media regulatory body in Bhutan.

Mandate of BICMA:

• Enabling a secure, efficient and reliable delivery of ICT and Media services at affordable prices;
• Managing access to the radiofrequency spectrum and monitoring their usage;
• Support continuous technological advancement to improve the standards of information, communications, media and entertainment;
• Improve and monitor the choice available in the content of the media and entertainment for news, current affairs, religious knowledge, art, culture, science, technology, social sector concerns, music, sports, drama and other subjects of public and national interest;
• Licensing of cable TV, broadcast media, printing presses, publications, entertainment licenses, ICT facility and service licenses.
• Maintain a dynamic and progressive regulatory system to promote market development, manage competitions while protecting consumers and other users;
• Facilitate the establishment of an integrated, efficient and high quality ICT infrastructure in the country;
• Issuance of filming permits, review and certification of films and accreditation of journalists;
• Develop rules, guidelines and appropriate standards for uniform ad consistent enforcement and efficient utilization of available resources.
• Set appropriate technical standards and rules to ensure interoperability, efficient use of radio spectrum and telephone numbers.

Department of Revenue and Customs (DRC)

The Department of Revenue and Customs (DRC) is the tax and customs regulatory body under the Ministry of Finance (MOF).  Its vision is to contribute to the nation building process through the development of an effective revenue system. The core mandate includes as follows;

• Implement and monitor the Sale Tax, Custom and Excise Act of Kingdom of Bhutan (2000) and ,Rules;
• Review and advise the Ministry of Finance on Custom and Excise policies;
• Coordinate with other law enforcement agencies in prevention of the smuggling of restricted and prohibited goods;
• Process Excise Duty Refund claims from Government of India;
• Liaise with WCO, Regional Custom Administration and other international agencies
  
  

Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA)

The DRA is an autonomous agency established in 2004 that controls and regulates medicinal products (both human and veterinary) in Bhutan.

Mandate of DRA:

• Authorizing for manufacture, import, export, sale, distribution and storage of medicinal products including blood and blood products;
• Registration of medicinal products which are manufactured within as well as imported into the country;
• Monitoring the competency and skills of personnel involved in the import, storage, manufacture and sale of medicinal products;
• Inspection/monitoring of premises for manufacture sale, distribution and storage of medicinal products including blood and blood products;
• Monitoring trends and cases of adverse effects resulting from medicinal products;
• Informing the public on the use and harmful effects of medicinal products;
• Promoting the policies for improved access to cost-effective quality medicinal products;
• Conducting research on pertinent issues related to medicinal products.

For more information on regulatory departments and quality control laboratories’ contact details, please see the following links:

4.1 Bhutan Government Contact List

4.3 Bhutan Laboratory and Quality Testing Companies Contact List 

Duties and Tax Exemption

The following information refers largely to a meeting with the Commissioner of the Department of Revenue and Customs held in July 2017.

The commissioner advised that the new act is at its final stage for clearance from His Majesty and is to be implemented shortly. The old Customs Act of 2000 is still in effect and same provisions for international food aid and emergencies will apply in the new act.

 He further informed that the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) generally exempts duties and taxes for all aid coming for emergencies. Furthermore, there would be fast track clearance system put in place in times of emergencies.

 Bhutan has a Customs office in Kolkata to facilitate all inbound cargo from the port of Kolkata.

 Standard shipping documents are required for all imports to Bhutan.

 Bhutan is member of the World Customs Organization (WCO), the Kyoto convention and SAFEETA.

There is a free trade agreement between Bhutan and India.

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the two links below: 

4.1 Bhutan Government Contact List

http://103.7.255.29/ministryoffinance/customs-excise

Emergency Response

Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response) 

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure: 

Duties and Taxes Exemption Application Procedure

Generalities

The documents required to apply for an exemption certificate are as follows: Import license. Application for exemption duly signed by the representative or the officer in charge. No Charge Invoice.   The Procedure is highlighted in the form of a flow chart in a step by step process. Import licenses can be processed from: Department of Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs. The import license form can be downloaded from this website.(www.trade.gov.bt) IDEC (Import Duty Exemption Certificate) and BST (Bhutan Sales Tax Exemption certificate can be processed from: Department of Revenue and Customs, Ministry of Finance (www.mof.gov.bt).    The forms should be properly filled and necessary documents as mentioned in the form need to be attached. WFP Bhutan has the same clearing agent as the WFP Nepal Office.

Process to be followed

The following are the steps to complete the customs formalities while procuring commodities internationally or receiving international in-kind donation.  Procedure to obtain Import License The CO (Country Office) has to write an Official letter duly signed by Representative/OIC to the Joint Director, Department of trade. The letter should be attached with: (Max 4 working days to obtain the Import license).    Procedure to Obtain Exemption certificate for Bhutan Sales Tax (BST) and IDEC Download the forms from the websites: http://www.mof.gov.bt/downloads/28form_cd-1.pdf. (For IDEC) and http://www.mof.gov.bt/downloads/45form_st-2.pdf.  Write an Official letter duly signed by the Representative/OIC to the Director, Department of Revenue and Customs, Ministry of Finance. Attached the filled forms duly signed by the Representative/OIC affixing the official seal (IDEC and BST) and a copy of Import License, Bill of Lading and No Charge Invoice.

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements

Customs Clearance

General Information 

Customs Clearance Document Requirements

 Transit Regime

Bhutan is a land-locked country and relies on the Kolkata Port in India for handling practically all of its sea freight imports. Since the port of Kolkata is located some 700 km away from Bhutan, a detailed assessment was not possible, and the information for this LCA has been based on the Nepal LCA (conducted in 2016). The Kolkata Port Trust manages two separate dock agglomerations - the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC). 

The Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) plans to construct one (mini-) dry port at Phuentsholing. The dry port is expected to be ready for operation by end 2019. This dry port is one of the three South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) project components with the Phuentsholing Thromde (Municipality). The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is funding the project with a grant. Once the mini-dry port is operational, congestion at the current customs clearing space is expected to be eased as most trucks will then be diverted to the dry port. Traffic congestion in Phuentsholing town is also expected to be lessened. With the dry port ready, a cargo area that will be able to accommodate more than 45 trucks would be in place. Sufficient space for customs clearance and other works related to import and export will also be available. The dry port will be connected via the second gate from the Bau Bazaar area in Jaigaon, which is expected to be ready soon. A bypass dubbed the Northern Bypass will also be constructed through the port.

Key airport information may also be found at: http://worldaerodata.com/

Bhutan has only one international Airport at Paro and three domestic airports (Bumthang, Gelephu and Yonphula). Out of these three, only Bumthang domestic airport is presently operating and the other two are being improved and are likely functional from August 2017 onwards. There are two airlines, Drukair and Bhutan Airlines operating international and one airline, Drukair, operating domestic. The international airport in Badgora, India is also near in travel time to Phuentsholing. 

The Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) regulates the overall aviation sector in Bhutan and the Department of Air Transport (DOAT) oversees the day to day operation.  Bhutan Air Services (BAS) is the authorized private clearing agent responsible for assisting and co-coordinating in cleaning all the private Aircraft’s and Helicopters flying in and out of Bhutan.

Current planned enhancement of Paro International Airport include the construction of a parallel taxiway, modification of the departure terminal, construction of the an cargo terminal and construction of additional apron.

For more information on government agency and airport company contact information, please see the following links:

4.5 Bhutan Airport Companies Contact List

4.1 Bhutan Government Contact List

Procedures for Foreign Registered Aircraft

Any foreign registered aircraft, other than aircraft operating on scheduled commercial flights to Bhutan entering into Bhutan airspace, shall seek prior permission of the Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA). BCAA has appointed, Bhutan Air Service (BAS), an authorized private clearing agent who deals with the foreign aircraft and the documentation issues.

Application (how and where to obtain it): Application for landing clearance needs to be filed at least 10 days before the scheduled flight. All applications need to be routed through BAS. A copy of the application form is attached to this LCA and it can be obtained by emailing to bhutanair@yahoo.com or bhutanair@hotmail.com  or fax 00975-2-324918 (Thimphu, Head Office) 00975-8-272053 (branch office, Paro International Airport). It is to be noted that BCAA doesn’t entertain direct application to them and all application needs to be channelled through BAS.

Registration and Safety Requirements: Copy of certificate of airworthiness and registration need to be submitted to BAS along with the application. Paro International Airport is a Category ‘C’ day VFR operations. Therefore, having a navigator from Druk Air or Bhutan Airlines to assist to fly the aircraft into Paro International Airport is the requirement.  The Navigator will be arranged by Bhutan Air Service. Due to wind curfew in the afternoon, it is always advisable to plan landing into Paro Airport (VQPR) before noon.

Operator, Aircraft and Crew Documentation: following documents are required at the time of filing the application.

• Details of the aircraft, registration/serial number and type of aircraft.
• Crew passport (clear original scanned  copy) for visa processing      
• Valid Copy of both Pilots License & Medical certificates and last page logbook copy of PIC
• A copy of the Certificate of Insurance for the Aircraft and all its occupants
• Certificate  of Airworthiness and Registration copy

Other comments such as process timeline, common issues, etc.: Process timeline normally takes 6-8 working days. Fuel Jet A1 is available and the price is approximately USD 0.75 per liter (subject to change) and requires to be paid in cash (USD) for all foreign registered aircraft. All payment advisable in cash due to non-availability of credit card facilities, however an operator can also wire transfer the payment. Flight cancellation charge USD 600.00 is applicable if the flight is cancelled less than 05 days prior to arrival OR after permit approval.

Overview

The Department of Roads (DoR), under Ministry of Works and Human Settlement is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the road network in the country. As Bhutan is a landlocked country, road transport is the dominant mode of transportation for passengers and freight within the country and to the neighbouring states (Assam and West Bengal) of India. At present, Bhutan has a total of 12,000 km of motorable roads. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) under project DANTAK, a subdivision of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, has been operating in Bhutan since May 1961. Since then Project DANTAK has been responsible for the construction and maintenance of over 680 km of roads and bridges, Paro Airport and the airfield at Yangphula, heliports and other infrastructure. While these serve India's strategic defence needs, they are also an obvious economic benefit for the people of Bhutan

Out of the total road network of around 12,000 km, which are composed of the 2,000 km of primary national highways, 650 km of secondary national highways, 350 km of Thromde (a third-level administrative division in Bhutan similar to a municipality under a Mayor) roads and remaining as farm, feeder and access roads. Some 2,500 km of roads are under DoR, about 680 km under Project Dantak, and the balance of remaining roads are under municipal (Thromde), Dzongkhag (national  administration districts) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forest (MoAF).

The Department of Roads (DoR) carries out road routine maintenance works through using national workforce dedicated for the purpose. The approach adopted for the execution of routine maintenance is input based where a fixed number of workforces are dedicated for the maintenance of a given section of the road using a maintenance work norm of 1 workforce per 1 km for national highway, 1 workforce per 1.5 km for district road and 1 workforce per 2 km for feeder road.

Due to its mountainous terrain and fragile topography, roads in Bhutan often get blocked by landslides and mud slides especially during the monsoon season that spans from May to August. Most of the roads are narrow, except some primary highways that are double lane, and large vehicles and trailers cannot pass through.  Sea containers are offloaded at the border town, Phuentsholing and cargo transhipped into smaller trucks for further transportation to the interior of the country.

Except for Thimphu-Phuentsholing, Paro-Thimphu and Thimphu-Wangduephodrang primary national highways, all other roads are only single lane. DoR with assistance from the Government of India and other donors is presently expanding the east–west and Samdrupjongkhar-Trashigang highways. Bypasses are also being constructed at a number of places to shorten the distance of highways. Notable bypasses include:

a)      Damchu-Chukha bypass which will reduce the distance between Thimphu and Phuentsholing by around 19 km.

b)       Chumey-Ura bypass

c)       Wangdigang-Tingtibi bypass.

 For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Bhutan Government Contact List

Distance Matrix

* Route through Indian road.

Road Security 

Generally, there are no security threats related to roads within Bhutan; however roads that pass through Indian borders, especially through the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal can sometimes pose security threats due to demonstrations and strikes. Between 2003-2008, the Government of India used to provide military escort to all Bhutanese vehicles plying these roads due to security threats from ULFA and BODO militants. These escorts were in use up to around 2013, though their use has been reduced or stopped due to the reduction of the threat. 

The Royal Government of Bhutan has accorded high priority to safety, reliability and efficiency of the road transport system; the  existing highways are being widened to allow two vehicles (at least one heavy and one light) to cross each other, safety measures such as crash barriers and reflectors are being installed along accident prone sections of various highways, and sections of existing highways are being realigned to shorten the travel distance and also to avoid landslide prone areas. Existing highway bridges are also being strengthened and replaced with permanent steel or reinforced concrete bridges. DoR has placed machines at strategic locations to clear the road in case of blocks due to landslides and mudslides.

However, general road conditions beyond national highways are poor, and emergency services generally are not available.  Because of the mountainous terrain, roads tend to have steep drop-offs and blind curves.

Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits

Department of Revenue and Customs, under the Ministry of Finance operates weighbridges at the border towns. Weighbridges are located at Phuentsholing, Gelephu, Samdrup Jongkhar and Gomtu. There are no privately owned weighbridges in the country. All trucks carrying goods to Bhutan have to be checked at these weighbridges and get at report. These reports are checked and analysed by the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA). Load limits for various kinds of trucks are mentioned below.

Road Class and Surface Conditions

INSERT RELEVANT maps (as needed) from the WFP GIS Team. 

Bhutan has no railway system and it is highly unlikely that any railways system would be constructed in Bhutan due to the highly mountainous nature of the topography and instability of the terrain due to frequent mud slides and the risks of earthquakes.

There are proposals to link the Indian railway network from Hasimara to Phuentsholing – a distance of some 17 km – though this is not expected to materialise in the near future.

The river system throughout the country is so fast flowing that there is no possibility of using the rivers for transport of food or non-food items during a crisis.

The rivers (excepting the Manas and Lhobhrak) flow from the side of the Great Himalayas through the narrow defiles at the foot of the mountains, emerging into the Duar and eventually draining into the Brahmaputra River. 

There are no flood problems in the mountain regions but serious threats of floods exist in the plains, although the alluvium makes the soil there fertile.

The total length of rivers, with their tributaries, in Bhutan is about 7,200 km. The principal rivers are, from west to east: Amo Chu or Torsa, Wong Chu or Raidak, Mo Chu or Sankosh and Manas.

Overview

The Food Corporation of Bhutan Ltd. (FCBL) has the largest network of warehouses throughout the country. It has 47 warehouses and transit stores across 20 districts of Bhutan with total storage capacity of 19,000 MT. Furthermore, it has currently 119 farm shops, each with minimum storage capacity of 5 mt, located in the remote corners of country, which can be used as mini storage if needed. There is a plan to expand to a total of 205 farm shops across the country. Although some of the warehouses are not up to standard, in terms of storage of food items, WFP considers that Bhutan has adequate capacity.

On the flipside, there are no identified warehouses for storage of non-food items except for very few district and central stores. Furthermore, there are not many commercial storage facilities available in Bhutan. During emergencies, one possibility could to use school auditoriums as warehouses since schools are located in each and every districts and sub-districts and furthermore, during emergencies, classes might be empty and thus could be converted into temporary emergency stores. This is however not a preferred option as it would delay the return to normal functioning of schools for their education roles.

FCBL maintains the "National Food Security Reserve” held in strategic warehouses throughout the country. This was established originally with assistance from WFP in 1991. The food stock consists of some 1,400 mt of rice, 200 mt of sugar and 58 mtof cooking oil.  The table below provides the locations where these reserves are held. However, considering the population growth, the CEO of FCBL projects that Bhutan presently might require around 4,150 mt (3,500 mt Rice, 300 mt Oil, 250 mt Sugar and 100 mt Salt) to provide for the needs of some 12 percent (poverty index based on 2012 figures) of the population for three months. The distribution across the country might also need a review once the data of the latest sensus are available.

National Food Security Reserve Stock Level 

 For more information on storage company contact details, please see the following link:

4.6 Bhutan Storage and Milling Companies Contact List

Commercial Storage 

Commercial storage facilities are almost non-existent in Bhutan except a handful of them located in Phuentsholing. Notable commercial storage are as follows:

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified

[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat

[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Storage Used by Humanitarian Organizations

The World Food Programme Country Office in Bhutan uses the Food Corporation of Bhutan Ltd (FCBL) warehouses to store its food and non-food items. FCBL has three main warehouses at Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar and many other transit warehouses all over Bhutan. FCBL is amenable when it comes to sharing the warehouse space with other humanitarian agencies provided they get prior approval from their management. The table below shows various warehouses used by WFP and UNICEF.

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified

[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat

[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Public Sector Storage

Most of public warehouses in Bhutan are those owned by the Food Corporation of Bhutan Ltd. The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education have some central stores located in a few places to store essential school stationery and medicines, but they are very few in number and grossly inadequate. The Department of Disaster Management (DDM), with assistance from UNICEF have issued some emergency kits to all the districts which are stored, in small rooms, at the respective district headquarters. The table below provides the details of various public warehouses.

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified

[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat

[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Cold Chain

Currently WHO and UNICEF do not have cold chain storage facilities in Bhutan. However, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has a limited cold chain network across the country for storage of essential vaccines and medicines. FCBL on the other hand has three cold chain networks located at Phuentsholing, Samdrup Jongkhar and Thimphu with total storage capacity of 550 MT. The table below provides the details of cold storage facilities within the country:

[1] Cold Room Positive, Cold Room Negative, Refrigerator, Freezer,

[2] Compression, Absorption, Solar, Other, unspecified

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

There are only a limited number of milling facilities in Bhutan and during the gathering of information for this LCA, only two facilities were visited. Both these facilities have limited production.

The facility at Chuzargang is in an isolated location only reachable by non-sealed road in the Sarpang district. The second facility was at a central location in Phuentsholing.

4.6 Bhutan Storage and Milling Companies Contact List

Milling Company Chuzargang Rice Mill

Milling Company CHHARU TSHONGDEL Rice Mill

CHHARU TSHONGDEL Rice Mill is located around 2 km from the centre of Phuentsholing town and is the country’s biggest milling company. It is owned as a partnership between by Ms. Dechen Pelden and Mr. Tashi Wangchuk and operated by Mr. Wangchuk as a managing partner. Daily milling capacity is 16 MT and monthly capacity averages 250 MT. The mill also fortifies rice for the WFP School Feeding Programme and in future plans to cater to RGOB school feeding.

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

Fuel Overview

The entire fuel supply for Bhutan is supplied by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL-59%) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL-41%) through three private distributors in the country, Bhutan Oil Corporation (BOC), Druk Petroleum, and Damchen Petroleum. These three distributors service 48 fuel stations across the country. The quality and price of fuel in Bhutan is regulated by the Department of Trade (DoT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs. All three distributors offer the same price as fixed by DoT.

BOC is the largest distributor and has 30 fuel stations all around the country. It has a storage capacity of 250 kilolitres (kl) at each of its three regional depots located at Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar and has storage capacity of 100 kl of Jet A1 at Paro International Airport. The second largest distributor is Druk Petroleum which operates 10 fuel stations and has storage capacity of 200 kl at Phuentsholing, 75 kl at Thimphu and 140 kl at Gelephu.

For emergencies, as a reserve, the government has around 1,000 kl (around 300,000 litres of petrol and 700,000 litres of diesel) at Dechencholing, Thimphu. In the capital, there are five fuel depots which have 345 kl of back-up storage (165,000 litres of petrol and 180,000 litres of diesel).

The Bhutan Oil Corporation (BOC) operates a Jet A1 fuel station at Paro International Airport. Its storage capacity is 100 kl and also has 20 kl of re-fillers at the site. The manager advises that this stock is adequate for some 14 days of supply to the available aircrafts. The price of 1 litre of Jet A1 fuel is BTN 47.94 (USD 0.75).

For more information on government and fuel provider contact details, please see the following links: HQ staff will input links to sections 4.1 Government Contact List and 4.7 Fuel Providers Contact List here.

Information may also be found at: http://www.mytravelcost.com/petrol-prices/ which is updated monthly. 

Fuel Pricing

The Department of Trade under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA) regulates the price of fuel in Bhutan and is slightly different for different districts depending on the transportation cost. The price of fuel is directly influenced by the market price of fuel in India for diesel and petrol. However, Government of India (GoI) provides a subsidy for liquid petroleum gas and kerosene. For all import of fuel the RGOB imposes 5 % sales tax and 5 % green tax.

Seasonal Variations 

There is no seasonal variation in the terms of supply of fuel from India. However, during the monsoon season, many of the roads connecting the different parts of Bhutan can get blocked in that way preventing the fuel stations from receiving supplies. In 2016, numerous road blocks did affect Bumthang and Trongsa districts leading to fuel shortages. The situation came under control as soon as the roads were restored. During such times, fuel stations practice rationing to avoid hoarding by some consumers.

Fuel Transportation

Due to its mountainous terrain and narrow roads, large tankers cannot be used to transport fuel in Bhutan. Therefore fuel is transported using tankers with a carrying capacity of 9-12 kl. The Bhutan Oil Corporation owns 36 such tankers, while Druk petroleum has 22 tankers which are used for transportation of fuel from its regional depots to the retail outlets across the country.

Standards, Quality and Testing

Department of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Economic Affairs regulates the quality and standard of fuel supplied to Bhutan. All fuel entering Bhutan is tested and certified by IOCL and BPCL and when it reaches the country, the receiving entity also conducts quality, density and impurity checks before offloading. In addition, the Department of Trade and Industry, conducts the tests every month at each fuel station to ensure that the standards are maintained.

Bharat Stage (BS) emission standards, introduced in India in 2000, are fuel emission standards that have been set up by the central government of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment including motor vehicles. IOCL confirms that all the supplies that are coming to Bhutan have BS IV standards.

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

Considering the fact that rail and waterway transport are not available in Bhutan, around 95 % of the cargo and goods are transported by road and the remaining by air. Most freight within Bhutan is moved on eight to ten trucks owned by private transporters. There are four or five major transporters and many smaller transporters in the country, mostly located and operated from the main business hub of Phuentsholing. There is a network of passenger buses throughout the country owned and operated by private individuals.

The current capacity of transporters seems to be adequate to meet the normal demand, however, during cash-crop seasons such as harvest time of potatoes (November to December), oranges (December to February) and apples (September to October), there is a higher demand for trucks from farmers to transport the produce for sale in India. During such periods, it is more difficult to obtain trucks at the prevailing market prices, as they obtain better prices for transporting seasonal farm produce.

It should be noted that that there are no government operated transport companies, and there is no regulation with regard to the price the transporters can charge. As a result, depending on the demand for transportation services, transportation charges can vary. During peak seasons, the cost can go up while during lean seasons they can come down, purely determined by the market forces.

Presently foreign / Indian trucks are not allowed to travel across Bhutan, except in cases when the cargo cannot be transported by Bhutanese trucks (such as for some sensitive materials that require customized transport facilities). Most trucks / trailers / sea containers coming from India are off-loaded at Phuentsholing and the cargo transported to other parts of Bhutan through smaller Bhutanese trucks. However, in 2016 Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) devised a Motor Vehicle Agreement that seeks to facilitate seamless cross-border movement of passenger and cargo vehicles in the sub-region. Although the present government was determined to ratify this agreement, the opposition and National Council are very much against it, stating that it will do more harm than good to Bhutan. Therefore, the BBIN agreement has been deferred by the parliament at the present time.

For more information on transport company contact details, please see the following link:

HQ staff will input a link to section 4.8 Transporter Contact List here.