Dolpa, Nepal - Hitesh Neupane was 7 when he first hiked into the mountains of upper Dolpa in north-western Nepal with his family, looking for a caterpillar fungus called yarsagumba.
The fungus, prized for its allegedly aphrodisiac properties in some countries, is a quest for the 10-year-old's family every summer, just as it is for other clans of the Dolpa district.
Yarsagumba is used in traditional medicine and is a valuable commodity in impoverished Dolpa, from which it is exported to places like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand.
Every year, in early May, people in Dolpa begin journeys into the mountains to search for the fungus. Government offices and schools are abandoned for three months starting in May as at least one person from every home leaves for the higher mountains.
'I'll join my parents again this summer,' said an excited Neupane, whose cheeks are cracked by the region's cold, harsh weather. The boy said he used a small digging tool to collect 40 worms within 15 days last year. The money from selling them was spent on his school fees and food.
Yarsagumba, whose scientific name is cordyceps sinensis, is a parasitic fungus that grows in the heads of caterpillars that live underground in the Himalayan region. The fungus consumes the worm, killing it and growing out though its head. It bursts through the soil at the start of the summer.
The worm, also known as Himalayan Viagra, is believed to cure impotence. It also also used to treat a variety of other ailments, ranging from fatigue to cancer.
'I've tried it sometimes,' said Chandra Bahadur Dangi, who works at the government revenue office. 'I normally take it with milk or honey when I have to appear for exams because they say it gives you more energy.'
A worm is sold for 200 to 500 rupees (2.70 to 6.80 dollars) by collectors, a huge sum for Dolpa, one of Nepal's poorest regions. The district sits on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of 3,000 metres. It is ranked as one of the worst areas in the world for food security by the UN's World Food Programme because of its inaccessibility and harsh terrain, which proves an obstacle but not a barrier to Dolpa's people on their quest for the caterpillar fungus.
'The first leg of the journey is about seven days' walk, and high altitude can be a problem,' said Narabahadur Pun of Tripurakot village, who takes a month's leave from his government job every year to collect yarsagumba.
High altitude, avalanches and rain sometimes kill collectors. In 2009, seven collectors died in fighting over the fugus. But such dangers have not prevented the trade from thriving.
Fifty per cent of Nepal's total yarsagumba trade comes from Dolpa. The government banned its collection in 1996, saying it wanted to encourage biodiversity conservation. However, illegal collection and exports continued. The ban was lifted in 2001 after a request from people involved in the trade who asked the government to regulate it instead. Collection was again made legal with the imposition of a 20,000-rupee tax on every kilogram of yarsagumba sold.
The local economy depends on yarsagumba, which collectors sell to local traders who then sell to outside buyers who export it.
'I buy a kilogram of yarsagumba for about 800,000 rupees from the collectors and sell it to Chinese traders for up to 1.4 million rupees,' Dunai trader Sribahadur Shahi said.
'It's like Mother Nature took pity on the people here,' said Hem Prasad Adhikari, a government agricultural official. 'The yarsagumba trade has given a boost to the local economy.'
People from nearby districts travel to Dolpa at the start of May to also share in the bounty. They bring tents and food with them, turning the mountains into a temporary carnival while vying with each other for the fungus.
'We dance and sing while we camp in the mountains,' said Binita Gurung, who runs a lodge in Dunai. She has gone into the mountains three times to look for the worms. 'It is a very harsh route, and many fall sick and are often forced to return.
'Nevertheless, I'm going.'
By Pratibha Tuladhar May 10, 2011, 3:02 GMT
No comments:
Post a Comment