People from Sindhupalchwok go to China to collect Yarsa

By Chitra Mijar,Sindhupalchwok, June 7: With the Chinese government granting permission to harvest Yarsagumba, (caterpillar fungus) people from the border village of Bhotekoshi Municipality in Sindhupalchwok have started going to the Chinese side to collect Yarsagumba. 

The people from Tatopani, Listi, Phulpingkatti, and other areas of Sindhupalchwok, which border the Nyalam district of China's autonomous region of Tibet, are now going to the Himalayan regions of China to harvest the medicinal herb.

China has granted permission to collect Yarsa only to districts in Nepal that share border with China. Border residents, making Chinese business partners, have begun to harvest Yarsa in China's high Himalayan regions. 

Senior Immigration Assistant Dinesh Barai from the Tatopani Immigration Office informed that China had permitted border residents to collect Yarsagumba.

Based on the permit issued according to citizenship, border residents are given passes to collect Yarsagumba. Currently, hundreds of border residents have reached the mountainous regions of China with such passes.

Previously, China did not allow Nepalis to harvest the herb in their territory. However, incidents of border residents secretly entering China to collect Yarsa have come to light. Permission to harvest Yarsa has been granted in the highlands of China, such as the Gaurishankar mountain range, Lapche at the base of the mountains, Raildon, and Manchour. The Yarsa from these areas is considered to be of high quality.

Due to the potential for good market value, border residents take risks to collect Yarsa in those areas. Local traders who engage in business at the border also go to harvest Yarsa. As a result, there has been a decline in the activity of people at the border.

With people going to harvest Yarsa, shops and hotels are shut down. Even if some shops are open, there is no business. Most shop and hotel owners have gone to collect Yarsa, shutting down businesses.

The season for harvesting Yarsa in the highlands of China starts in the second week of May. Preliminary statistics from the immigration office show that more than a thousand residents from the border area have gone to Chinese territories to collect Yarsa so far.

It was previously estimated that more than 3000 people from Sindhupalchwok and other districts had gone to China to collect Yarsa. There have been reports of deaths among Yarsa collectors due to various reasons during the collection process. Border residents have been risking their lives to harvest the high-value herb.