Uttarakhand may adopt Bhutan model to regulate Himalayan Viagra extraction and trade
Yarsagumba is a medicinal fungus grown in Himalayas known for its aphrodisiac and energy-boosting properties and fetches upwards of Rs 10 lakh per kg.
Uttarakhand may follow Bhutan’s footsteps to legalise collection and regulate trade of Yarsagumba, a medicinal fungus grown in Himalayas known for its aphrodisiac and energy-boosting properties and which fetches upwards of Rs 10 lakh per kg.
Popularly known as ‘keera-jadi’ or Himalayan Viagra, Yarsagumba is widely used in Chinese medicines as an energy booster and to cure various serious ailments including cancer.
The fungus, which is an association of a plant and an insect, fetches value of Rs 10 lakh per kilo. And beyond the border, the rate simply increases 10 times, say experts.
As per a report of Nepal Rastra Bank released in January 2016, about 83-183 tonnes of the fungus are collected globally yielding a revenue of USD 5-11 billion per year.
Read more: Chamoli emerging as ‘Yarsagumba’ smuggling hub
China has been reported to be the highest producer and meets 95% of global demand followed by Nepal that reports production of about 2.8 tonnes and Bhutan 1.5 tonnes, as per the report.
In Bhutan, the government gives rights to bonafide residents for its extraction. This helps in checking illegal collection and conservation. Thereafter, the government also provides free laboratories where villagers can refine their produce by drying, cleaning, and even package them.
The collectors must then register their stock with the government which provides them a certificate for selling it. The government also organises auction for collectors, providing them a market, against which the government charges a percentage (4.50% in 2013) of the sale.
If collectors are not satisfied with the government auction, they can sell it to anyone inside the country, after taking due receipt of the stock.
Bhutan model in Uttarakhand
The Bhutan model was proposed by Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board to chief secretary this month.
“I have proposed this model which has been successful in Bhutan,” Rakesh Shah, chairman, Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board, told HT.
About 10% share of the government is submitted from each collector in state.
Currently, Yarsagumba is widely found in the higher reaches of Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand, which extracts five quintals each season.
According to Harish Dhami, former chairman of UFDC and MLA of Dharchula in Pithoragarh, more than 20,000 people in about 300 villages in Pithoragarh and Chamoli district extract this fungus.
Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation (UFDC) is responsible for marketing the fungus collected from protected areas and it has declared Rs 50,000 as the rate for a kilo of the fungus.
STS Lepcha, managing director, UFDC, says the corporation has “not officially sold any stock of Yarsagumba in the last four years.”
The reason is attributed to the lower price band, due to which villagers do not sell their collection to the department, and instead smuggle it to Nepal and Delhi where they find a high price.
While there are no records of the total collection during the season, only a few seizure incidents report its smuggling.
Illegal trade of Yarsa is a pressing problem for Uttarakhand as unlike its neighbouring Himalayan states, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, it shares border with Nepal and China.
“If you cross a river here, you are in a different country,” Shah rued, adding that implementing the Bhutan model will help the government to have a record of extraction, besides generating revenue.
“It will further curb illegal extraction as locals would be protective about their produce,” he said.