About
The Bhutan Agrifood Trade and Investment Forum (BATIF) 2.0 is Bhutan’s flagship platform dedicated to accelerating agrifood trade, investment, and strategic partnerships. The Forum brings together the Royal Government of Bhutan, agribusiness leaders, investors, development finance institutions, financial institutions, and technical partners to transform priority opportunities into implementable collaborations.
Building on the momentum of BATIF 2024, BATIF 2.0 moves beyond showcasing potential toward enabling structured engagement, investment readiness, and practical deal-making. The Forum supports Bhutan’s agrifood transformation agenda by aligning policy priorities, investment opportunities, and financing pathways to unlock sustainable growth across the sector.
Our Purpose
Bhutan’s agrifood sector plays a vital role in inclusive economic growth, rural livelihoods, and national resilience. However, scaling investment requires stronger coordination between policy frameworks, bankable projects, and financing mechanisms. BATIF 2.0 responds to this need by convening decision-makers and dealmakers in one platform to strengthen partnerships, clarify investor expectations, and accelerate implementation through coordinated technical and financial support.
The Forum aims to create a practical environment where ideas move toward action, supporting investments that enhance productivity, promote sustainability, and expand market opportunities for Bhutanese producers and enterprises.
Creating an Enabling Environment for Investment
BATIF 2.0 highlights Bhutan’s enabling environment for agrifood investment by showcasing national priorities, institutional readiness, and ongoing reforms that reduce barriers and increase investor confidence. The Forum emphasizes financing pathways and partnership models that connect Bhutan’s investment pipeline to appropriate instruments and institutions, including blended finance approaches and risk-sharing arrangements that help mobilize both public and private capital.
A defining feature of BATIF 2.0 is the combination of investment pitches and “reverse pitches.” While project owners from government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and the private sector present priority opportunities, financiers and investors also outline their investment criteria, funding priorities, and requirements. This approach supports faster alignment, clearer expectations, and more actionable follow-up beyond the Forum.
Bhutan’s Competitive Advantage
BATIF 2.0 showcases Bhutan’s unique strengths in premium, sustainable, and high-value agrifood markets. The Forum emphasizes value addition, quality assurance, and stronger market linkages that can enhance exports, create employment opportunities, and ensure inclusive participation across agrifood value chains.
Expected Outcomes
Through BATIF 2.0, the Ministry aims to:
- Mobilize USD 15–20 million in investment commitmentsfor priority agrifood initiatives.
- Formalize strategic partnershipsthrough the signing of a minimum of at least 2-3 Letter of Intent or Memoranda of Understanding among government agencies, investors, financial institutions, and private sector actors,
- Establish clear implementation pathways,with defined timelines, for priority investment initiatives.
Background
Bhutan’s engagement in FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative since 2021 has strengthened the country’s foundation for agrifood transformation, guiding key policy reforms and investment priorities under the 13th Five-Year Plan. This has led to the development of an investment pipeline across ten priority commodities, valued at nearly USD 98 million, attracting growing interest from investors and development partners.
With the primary sector expected to grow significantly by 2029, much of the required investment will need to come from beyond public funding—positioning BATIF 2.0 as a key platform to mobilize private and international investment.
Building on the success of BATIF 2024, which brought together over 250 stakeholders and enabled international market access for Bhutanese products, the forum continues to drive partnerships, investment opportunities, and policy-supported growth in the agrifood sector.
What to Look Forward To
BATIF 2.0 is designed as a deal-oriented Forum with curated sessions that directly connect project owners with financiers and strategic partners. The programme combines policy dialogue, investment presentations, investor engagement, and structured matchmaking to enable practical discussions on project pipelines, financing structures, and partnership modalities.
The objective is clear: to move opportunities forward beyond the event and translate dialogue into tangible investment outcomes that support Bhutan’s long-term agrifood transformation.