Tshering Wangchuk, President of the Horticulture Association of Bhutan (HAoB), was conferred the Hindustan Gagan Gaurav World Envi Fest–2025 International Award in recognition of his outstanding service to society and his leadership in promoting Bhutan’s horticulture sector on the global stage.
The award was presented during the Ayur Patha, World Teachers’ Day and Envi Fest–2025 Valedictory Function held on 24 December 2025 at the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), Mysore.
The event was organized by the Teacher Ex-MLC Chinnaswamy Education Sustainability Cultural and Charitable Trust, in collaboration with Dr Radhakrishnan Educational and Health Foundation (India), the World Health Heart Diabetic Cancer and AIDS Foundation, and NCECC. The programme acknowledged teachers, professors, educationists, environmentalists, social workers, academicians and professionals from diverse fields for their contributions to society, including through Lifetime Achievement Awards.
According to the organizing committee, Tshering Wangchuk was selected for the prestigious international award in recognition of his generous service to society and his sustained contribution to advancing sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship.
Under his stewardship, the Horticulture Association of Bhutan has played a pivotal role in strengthening Bhutan’s presence in major international horticulture platforms, significantly enhancing the country’s global visibility and market access. These include Bhutan’s participation in Flora Expo 2018, the International Horticultural Expo 2023 in Doha, Qatar, the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 in Chengdu, China—where Bhutan’s pavilion, facilitated by HAoB, received international recognition and awards for its sustainable and culturally integrated presentation—and ongoing engagement with World Expo 2025, Osaka, Japan, aligned with global discussions on sustainability, food systems and innovation.
The Association has also recorded notable institutional achievements, including establishing a national platform representing Bhutan’s horticulture sector, working with over 300 farmer groups and cooperatives across the country, delivering sector-wide capacity-building programmes on production, sustainability and market development, and promoting eco-friendly packaging and labelling initiatives at the community level.
Additionally, Tshering Wangchuk’s leadership has strengthened HAoB’s strategic partnerships with the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), ministries and agencies of the Royal Government of Bhutan, and international partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Government of Canada through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).
The Gaurav Awards, initiated by the School Games and Activity Development Foundation (SGADF) in 2020, are a prestigious recognition platform honouring exceptional individuals for outstanding contributions in fields such as sports, education, service, culture and national development. Organized every four years, the awards are presented across six categories, including the Hindustan Gaurav Award, with only 60 recipients selected from 200 nominees through a rigorous evaluation process.
The award bestowed on Tshering Wangchuk underscores Bhutan’s growing international recognition in sustainability-led horticulture and reflects his unwavering commitment to placing the country’s horticulture sector firmly on the global map.
By Sangay Rabten, Mysore
