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30 November 2020 Distribution, Harvesting, and Trade of Yartsa Gunbu (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) in the Sikkim Himalaya, India
Bharat Kumar Pradhan, Ghanashyam Sharma, Bindhya Subba, Santosh Chettri, Arun Chettri, Dhani Raj Chettri, Aditya Pradhan
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Abstract

Cordyceps has significantly improved the socioeconomic status of the mountain people in the Sikkim Himalaya, India, but an upsurge in demand and its price has resulted in overexploitation and degradation of the fragile alpine habitat in which it grows. This study aimed to shed light on the distribution, resource abundance, harvesting practices, commercialization, and trade of Cordyceps through household surveys and open-ended interviews with the collectors, sublocal and local traders, and local officials. Significant differences (p < 0.001) in average collection and income per household were observed. The income from Cordyceps ranged from US$ 0.03 to 0.23 million for the 3 villages studied. We conclude that there is a strong need to understand the market of Cordyceps and develop the value chain to regulate its price in Sikkim.

© 2020 Pradhan et al. This open access article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Please credit the authors and the full source.
Bharat Kumar Pradhan, Ghanashyam Sharma, Bindhya Subba, Santosh Chettri, Arun Chettri, Dhani Raj Chettri, and Aditya Pradhan "Distribution, Harvesting, and Trade of Yartsa Gunbu (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) in the Sikkim Himalaya, India," Mountain Research and Development 40(2), R41-R49, (30 November 2020). https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-19-00039.1
Received: 1 November 2019; Accepted: 1 May 2020; Published: 30 November 2020
KEYWORDS
caterpillar fungus
commercialization
Ophicordyceps sinensis
Sikkim Himalaya
sustainability
yartsa gunbu
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