Every August, a wild mushroom that cannot be successfully cultivated in farms, draws buyers, and, increasingly, visitors to a quiet gewog of Thimphu. In Genye, the matsutake season has long meant cash for those who collect and sell the prized mushroom. But since recently, residents say, the money no longer stops at the sale. It is spilling over into tourism, local businesses, and the wider community.
Known locally as Sangay Shamu, Matsutake is a wild mushroom that, according to studies, is difficult to grow on a farm. It survives only in a natural partnership with certain forest trees. This rarity makes it one of the world’s most sought-after mushrooms, especially in Japan.
For the people of Genye, this global appetite has become local income.
“Every villager earns at least Nu 50 to 60,000 every season. But, as per the records, there are also those who make more than Nu 200,000,” said Kencho, Genye Gup, Thimphu.
This is where Genye’s story is quietly changing. Now, the money no longer stops with the people who sell the mushrooms.
Recently, for two days, the forests and fields of Genye turned into a marketplace. The Genye Matsutake Festival brought together the people who make the season what it is – farmers, mushroom collectors, local businesses, and a growing crowd of visitors.
There were matsutake grading and tasting, guided foraging and treasure hunts, and forest bathing, which is a slow, quiet walks among the trees. Alongside, there was a showcase of traditional food, games, and cultural performances. And by many accounts, there was more business than the village had seen in recent years.
“Earlier, we did not have as many business activities as we do now. The increase is significant. People from different districts are participating. We are also seeing more tourists, particularly from Japan,” said Tandin Dorji, a farmer at Genye Gewog.
According to the villagers, with increasing visitors, the matsutake season now feeds the local economy.
This year, the trade itself grew as well. The number of exporters more than doubled.
“Last year, there were only three exporters. This year, there are seven. We classified the mushrooms into Class A and B and fixed the rates,” said Tshering Wangchuk, Manager, Padma Gourmet and Foods.
Amid the increasing trade, in Genye, a mushroom that cannot be farmed is, in its own way, cultivating something else: a whole seasonal economy. What begins on the forest floor now reaches the market stall, the homestay, the tour group, and the community fund. And each year, it seems, it reaches a little further.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Sonam Wangdi
