Through the Bank of Bhutan, the government helped finance irrigation projects in south-central Bhutan. By 1986 some 350 kilometers of new irrigation channels had been constructed, and another 395 kilometers of old channels had been repaired. Irrigation, however, was of only limited applicability because of the terrain. More attention was needed for rainfed crops, such as potatoes, wheat, and corn, than for rice and cash crops in irrigated areas.
Fertilizer use was limited. Although nitrogenous fertilizers were used at a rate of 100 tons a year and phosphate and potash fertilizers were used in indeterminant amounts throughout the 1980s, they were not a major agricultural factor.
Data as of September 1991