Golley's struggle is shared by other potato farmers in Gangtey and Phobjikha, and many other potato growing districts in Bhutan. However, the struggles are now set to become a thing of the past with the opening of the new Potato Trade Facilitation Centre for Gangtey and Phobjikha communities. The centre, a first of its kind, established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited (FCBL), will transform the country’s potato trading. Supported by the Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries’ Fund and UNDP, together with FAO, the centre offers online auctions. This means the farmers can trade their potato harvests in Gangtey. They no longer have to undertake long journeys to the Phuntsholing auction yard, saving both time and travel costs. 

The online auction will streamline transactions with efficient management of bidding, pricing and payments, offering significant benefits to both farmers and buyers. The centre is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for washing, drying, grading, sorting and packaging potatoes. This will ensure potatoes meet growing export standards. It will help reduce post-harvest losses significantly and lead to increased sales. Phobjikha and Gangtey are major producers of potatoes Bhutan with around 1,500 acres, accounting for 53 percent of Wangdue Phodrang district’s potato acreage and 17 percent of the national acreage. Together, they produce 12,000 metric tons of potatoes yearly, which makes up 67 percent of Wangdue Phodrang’s total potato production and 37 percent of the total national production. 

Approximately 90 percent of the crop produced by more than 1,000 farmers is exported through auctions at Phuntsholing, making farmers heavily reliant on this method. The total income from potato farming in Phobjikha and Gangtey amounts to 29 percent of the national potato export value.