The annual Cordyceps auction for Bumthang held last week saw many collectors withdrawing their Cordyceps from the process. The collectors said the prices bid were unsatisfactory and the segregation procedure, not proper.
At the auction held on August 1 and 2 at Chhoekhor Gewog office, more than 24 kilograms of Cordyceps were withdrawn of the roughly 57 kilograms brought for auction. Besides a poor price, collectors were sceptical of the segregation procedures followed at the auction.
On the first day, a representative each from the bidders, forestry office and Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA) collectively carried out the segregation. However, on the second day, the house rule was changed and all bidders were allowed to segregate the fungus.
“We have been collecting and selling Cordyceps for years now and we know exactly how much each quality of Cordyceps is worth. This time we didn’t get the expected price. There were some lapses during segregation as well. Sometimes, the top quality Cordyceps would be put into the lower-quality categories and vice versa. That’s why we withdrew from the auction,” Pema Wangchen, from Nangsiphel_Zangling_Zhabjethang chiwog, said.
Some collectors say there is a need to make people aware of the rules and regulations regarding withdrawal and revise some of the existing bylaws during the auction.
“When withdrawal happens, not all Cordyceps from the entire lot is withdrawn. Some collectors are fine with the category their Cordyceps are assigned to and they are willing to sell. However, the bidders do not buy the remainder when top-quality Cordyceps from the lot is withdrawn. This makes it difficult for farmers to sell their collection. I think the stakeholders involved and responsible for the collection and sale of Cordyceps should familiarise the people with the regulations at gewog level and in every chiwog, if possible,” Kencho Norbu, the Tshopa of Nangsiphel_Zangling_Zhabjethang Tshogpa, said.
Sources told BBS that some collectors may not be declaring all the Cordyceps they have collected to the forestry officials, which in turn leads to the withdrawal and supposed sale of their collection at better prices outside the auction site.
The auction committee, however, said that this is not possible as it is mandatory for the collectors to register the quantity of Cordyceps collected with the forestry office concerned and obtain a certificate of origin. Without this certificate, it is not possible to take the Cordyceps outside the country.
Meanwhile, the collectors said there is a need to increase the auction duration from the existing two days.
“About 1,000 Cordyceps collection permits were issued this season for Chhoekhor Gewog alone. So, when the auction has to be conducted within 2 days, people have to come here early in the morning and then rush into the registration corner to get the Certificate of Origin,” Pema Wangchen said.
“With many procedures involved, on the first day, the auction starts only by 11 am. On the second day, due to some issues regarding the withdrawal of the lots and other procedures, it is really difficult to finish the auction within the given time. I hope the stakeholders would extend the duration at least by a day so that the auction can be conducted smoothly,” the Tshogpa Kencho Norbu said.
The Chhoekhor Gewog office said they are planning to propose a three-day auction period from next year at the annual stakeholders meeting in Thimphu. The office also said they are looking at conducting the auction at three different places from next year.
Majority of the Cordyceps collectors in Bumthang are from Chhoekhor Toed while about ten per cent are from Tang and Chummig Gewogs.
