The number of people leaving for Cordyceps collection in Bumthang has decreased by almost half this year. Usually, about 800 people climb the alpine mountains to collect the fungi annually. This year the figure has dropped to less than 500 largely due to the bleak market for the fungus amid the economic recession the COVID-19 pandemic caused.
25-year-old Nima from Kharsa village under Chhoekhor Gewog has been collecting Cordyceps for several years now, making a fortune out of the fungus. However, the story hasn’t been the same last year.
“I could sell all the Cordyceps I gathered last year but the price was almost three times lower. I don’t know how good the price will be this year. I am going for the collection hoping for a better business because Cordyceps usually pays us better than other manual works,” said Nima.
Due to the difficulties in exporting the fungi and lack of tourists in the country, only a handful of buyers took part in last year’s auction. This had affected the price. Many collectors withdrew from the auction.
“Some of my friends couldn’t still sell their last year’s harvest. I had difficulty selling mine as well. That’s why I didn’t go for the collection this year,” said Ugyen Wangda, from Thangbi in Chhoekhor.
“Usually 30 to 40 people from my village go to collect Cordyceps but this year, there are only about five of us. Last year, some people didn’t even fetch enough money to pay off horse-hiring charges, so they are reluctant to go this year,” added Karma Thinley, from Tamzhing in Chhoekhor.
Meanwhile, at the collection permit issuance programme yesterday, collectors were reminded of the waste management strategy the gewog and park officials introduced last year. A collector has to pay Nu 1,000 as a security deposit under the regulation. This is to ensure people bring back the waste they take to the collection sites when they return home. Last year, collectors brought back around three tonnes of waste after the strategy was implemented.
“During the month-long Cordyceps collection period, close to a thousand people enter the collection sites which heavily litters the mountains. That’s why we introduced a strict waste management strategy and from last year’s record, we can say that people are bringing back 80 to 90 per cent of the waste they take into the collection areas,” said Tshering Dhendup, the Chief Forestry Officer at the Wangchuck Centennial National Park.
Meanwhile, 24 foresters are deployed in six zones to monitor the collectors and the collection sites. The harvesting period will end on the 29th of next month.
Kipchu, Bumthang
