\r\nA demonstration and discussion on the use of buckwheat was organised by ‘Julay Ladakh’ an NGO on September 5 at the office premises of Ladakh Women Alliance, Leh.\r\n

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\r\nAn expert group on buckwheat from Japan discussed about the findings and futures courses of actions on buckwheat promotion and production in Ladakh. Both the groups from Ladakh and Japan shared their views and suggestions regarding buckwheat values on nutrition, economy, cultivation, food culture and preparations etc.\r\n

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\r\nBuckwheat is the traditional food for many parts of Ladakh including Sham areas, lower Nubra, Kargil and Zanskar but some villages have already left the production.  However, the Buckwheat (Dao) is regaining its popularity again due to its health benefits.\r\n

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\r\nBuckwheat from Ladakh is proved to be good in taste and rich in nutritional value as compared to the production of other regions.\r\n

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\r\nTsering Wangdus, EC Agriculture, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Councillor Martselang ,  Thinles Dawa from the Agriculture department Leh, members of  Women Alliance, local traditional food restaurant owners were present during the day. \r\n

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\r\nFor the future courses of actions to be taken in Ladakh jointly with Japanese Group for the production & promotion of buckwheat as cash crop as well as domestic consumption,   Councilors, LAHDC, Leh assured its full cooperation.\r\n

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\r\nThe participants also get to test variety of Buckwheat food prepared by the Japanese study group members. \r\n

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\r\nTsering Wangdus, EC Agriculture informed that the LAHDC is committed to make Ladakh an Organic region until 2020.  He also expressed deeper interests in collaborating activities to promote buckwheat production in order to make Ladakh a self-reliant region in terms of food security.\r\n

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\r\nAt the end, both LAHDC and NGO ‘Julay Ladakh’ lead Japanese group agreed on further collaboration in order to promote Buckwheat production in Ladakh for a healthier and sustainable food security in the future.\r\n

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\r\nAn NGO ‘Julay Ladakh’ was founded by Skarma Gurmet. They have been studying various developmental trends in Ladakh with various groups locally (especially Ladakh) and internationally(especially Japan) including Universities since its inception in Tokyo, Japan during the year 2004.  One such research was carried out towards agriculture in Ladakh especially on Buckwheat with the Japanese group specialized on Buckwheat food productions and other allied businesses from the year 2015.\r\n

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\r\nIn the year 2015, the first buckwheat study cum exchange activity was conducted in Skurbuchan village of Sham region where the local women groups and the monastic monks prepared and demonstrated traditional buckwheat food for the Japanese and the Japanese group demonstrated their traditional buckwheat food known as SOBA. In 2016, the activities and study were carried out at Turtuk followed by Zanskar and Kargil this year.\r\n