Bhutan’s cottage, small industries get boost from Japan, ADB

The 'Improving Market Linkages for Cottage and Small Industries in Bhutan' project aims to improve product quality, marketing, and cultural impact of local products.

Asian Development Bank | Representative Image | Flickr

New Delhi: The Asian Development Bank (ADB), with support from the Government of Japan through the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR), is helping Cottage and Small Industries (CSIs) in Bhutan to improve product quality, expand marketing efforts, and enhance their cultural impact.

An ADB press release stated that the project, Improving Market Linkages for Cottage and Small Industries in Bhutan, aims to strengthen market connections for CSIs, elevate the quality and marketing of locally produced goods, and stimulate economic growth. The project also emphasizes the impact on beneficiaries, the environment, and Bhutanese culture. Several government agencies, including the Department of Industry, BFDA, and BSB, collaborate with ADB to achieve these goals, it added.

A key accomplishment of the project is assisting beneficiaries in securing the Brand Bhutan Certification, the release noted. This certification, overseen by the Department of Trade within the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment, awards two sectoral brands: “Made in Bhutan” and “Grown in Bhutan.”

The project has implemented a new national framework for standardizing and certifying CSI products, promotes CSI products using the Brand Bhutan mark, and launched an integrated market access program by establishing a dedicated center for CSI Product Packaging and Labelling.