Chutro and gurjo find market in China

BY RAJANI YOGI,Surkhet, May 28: In Karnali, chutro and gurjo are being processed and exported to China. Since a processing centre was established in Surkhet, local farmers have started collecting these medicinal plants as a source of income. Chutro and gurjo, which had long gone to waste in forests due to a lack of awareness about their value, have now begun to find a market. Following the establishment of an industry that processes these herbs to manufacture medicines, farmers have become increasingly busy collecting them from forests and fields where they had previously been neglected.

A Chinese company, Yuyuan Biotechnology Pvt. Ltd., operating in Kharayochour of Gurbhakot Municipality-10 in eastern Surkhet, has started processing the roots and stems of chutro as well as gurjo. The company has been established with an investment of Rs. 50 million and operates on 55 ropanis of leased land. It currently employs three Chinese nationals and 60 Nepali workers.

The company pays collectors Rs. 55 per kilogram for the roots and stems of chutro and Rs. 25 per kilogram for gurjo. As these once-unused forest and farmland resources have started generating income, farmers across villages are now rushing to collect them. Chhatra Thapa of Gurans Rural Municipality-3 in Dailekh said that the number of people collecting chutro daily has increased significantly because it provides good income with relatively little effort and investment. He added that people are struggling to keep up with collecting the chutro growing on their own land.

The company, registered with the Department of Industry under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, processes chutro and gurjo into powder before exporting them to China. According to the company’s manager, Hari Kumar Shrestha, the herbs are currently collected from all ten districts of Karnali Province and sent to China. He informed that the company began operations in mid-April 2026, and that collection and processing activities are now taking place rapidly.

Similarly, Sabin Thapa of Gurbhakot Municipality-3 in eastern Surkhet said that the number of people searching for chutro and gurjo has increased since they became commercially valuable. 

 He said that while chutro can be collected relatively easily, finding gurjo takes more time. He stressed the need to focus not only on their utilisation but also on expanding their cultivation. 

Although the collection and sale of medicinal plants such as chutro and gurjo have increased, stakeholders have expressed concern that insufficient attention is being paid to their long-term sustainability and cultivation expansion. Following growing public criticism, the Division Forest Office in Surkhet stated that it has taken notice of the issue. It has been found that these herbs are mainly being collected and sold by individuals from private lands rather than from national or community forests.

The Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests, and Environment stated that chutro and gurjo are not restricted medicinal herbs and can therefore be traded legally under existing regulations. Although the ministry does not have direct regulatory authority over them, Secretary Ajit Kumar Karna said that their sale and distribution can proceed according to the rules.

The provincial government has also been informed about the establishment of the industry. The Directorate of Industry and Consumer Protection in Surkhet stated that chutro and gurjo have strong income-generating potential. Director Padam Lal Sapkota said that farmers themselves are now showing interest in collecting and marketing these herbs. Since this is the first industry of its kind registered in Karnali, locals have become increasingly enthusiastic.