SIKKIM: Sikkim frames rules to market ‘Yarcha Gombuk’
FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS
GANGTOK, July 09: Sikkim has followed the steps of its Himalayan neighbours, Nepal and Bhutan, by legalizing the collection and marketing of the exotic medical herb, Cordyceps Sinensis from the forest areas of the State.
A notification has been issued by the State Forest Department framing the rules for collection of Cordyceps Sinensis from the areas demarcated after proper survey. The rules will come into force on the date of their publication in the official gazette.
For the uninformed, Cordyceps Sinensis is popular known as ‘caterpillar fungus’, widely known in the Himalayan belt as ‘Yarcha-Gombuk’ and its connoisseurs do not tire to sing the aphrodisiac properties of this ‘Himalayan Viagra’.
With one kg of raw caterpillar fungus fetching as much as 2000 US dollars, Cordyceps Sinensis had reportedly funded the successful Maoist battle against the monarchy in Nepal. Now the collection and trading of this medicinal herb is legal in Nepal.
Cordyceps Sinensis is also widely found in the highlands of Bhutan which made the collection and trading of the herb legal only in 2004. Only communities living in and around the high lands are allowed to collect it and sell it to traders through government organized auctions.
Bhutan sells this product in 3 grades, A, B and C at prices ranging from US $ 2685 to US $ 2485. Collection of the herb is strictly regulated and is done on rotation basis.
Nestled between Nepal, Bhutan and another giant producer of ‘Yarcha-Gombuk’ China, the Himalayan State of Sikkim also has fair quantities of this medicinal herb in its high altitude areas of North, East and West districts.
Now belatedly realizing that its bio revenue source has been lying untapped, the State government has now framed rules for collection and trading of Cordecyeps Sinensis abundantly stored in its highlands.
The notification, ‘Cordceyps sinensis (Yartsa Gunbu/Vegetative Caterpillar) Collection and Selling rules-2009’ was notified earlier this week and defines the collection and marketing of the exotic medicinal herb along with provisions for penalities.
Only registered Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) and Eco Development Committees (EDCs) are allowed to collect the medicinal herb after due permission is obtained from the Range Officer who will issue after field verification and approval of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) of the State forest department.
However, no collection is permitted in the wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the State.
The JFMCs and EDCs who are interested in collecting Cordyceps Sinensis from their territory first have to apply to the concerned DFO to include their area in the schedule with a rough sketch map along with approximate quantity of collection which must not be more than 33 percent of the total stock of that area.
On the request of the JFMC or EDC, forest areas suitable for collection of Cordyceps Sinensis will be surveyed in the month of May every year by the State forest department in collaboration with the JFMCs and all other local self government institutions and institutions having knowledge on the medicinal herb.
The surveyed areas as may be found suitable for sustainable harvesting shall be reported to the Conservator of Forest in the last week of May, duly mentioning the name of the forest and the boundaries within which the collection is to be allowed using local names of places and their recorded names, the notification reads.
After obtaining the approval from the PCCF, collection permits will be issued to JFMCs or EDCs for collection of Cordyceps Sinensis from the forest areas approved within the period indicated in the permit. The collection will be monitored and guided by a forest officer not below the rank of Block Officer.
The concerned Range Officer will then inform the quantity collected to the DFO for further disposal.
The quantity collected will be auctioned by a committee set up by the State government with 75 percent of the proceeds going to the JFMC who have collected the Cordyceps Sinensis while the remaining 25 percent will be deposited in the government revenue.
If there is a market within Sikkim, the JFMC or EDC may take up the selling with prior permission of the designated committee.
The State government will also be undertaking research to determine the proper techniques of collection, drying, value addition, storage and transportation of Cordyceps Sinensis and impart training to the interested persons.
Cordyceps sinensis, a rare combination of a caterpillar and a fungus is found in the altitudes above 4,500 m in the Himalayas. In Sikkim, it is found in areas like Green Lake, Dzongri, Thamjey, Nathu La Pass, Doman Valley, Tholung Pass and other areas above 8,000 ft. All these areas are under the forest department.
Though no resource survey of this medicinal herb has been conducted in Sikkim, the forest department says that it knows where the herb is found in Sikkim.
Experts on medicinal plants here have welcomed the proposal of the department. They also said that foreign technology is readily available to artificially produce the medicinal herb in Sikkim.
The experts have also endorsed the rationale behind the proposal. “People are already collecting Cordyceps sinensis and other forest produce from the forests. By legalizing the collection will mean that the present clandestine operations will come above-board leading to control and regulation. The locals will also benefit by earning money which will mean that they will have a stake in protecting the biodiversity. Right now they don’t have any stakes”, said one expert.
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