People move to higher reaches to collect Yarsa Gumba

Our Correspondent

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Pithoragarh, May 18

As the snow in the high Himalayan reaches melts, the villagers of Drama and Chaundas valleys have begun their journey to these high Himalayan meadows to collect Yarsa Gumba, the miracle herb caterpillar fungus, used to prepare aphrodisiac medicine in Chinese system of medicines. “Over 500 villagers from lower reaches of Chiplakot meadow have already reached there and have erected tents at Chiplakot high meadow, Dhudhban, Charthi, Sela and Sumdung meadows in the higher reaches of Drama valley to collect the herb,” said Ram Singh, a villager from Ranthi village, who has remained in his village after all the able-bodied male family members had gone to the higher reaches.

The villagers expected that they would be able to get better harvest of Yarsa Gumba this year as the prolonged snowfall has made it possible to produce high quantity of Yarsa Gumba.” The people collect Yarsa Gumba as soon as it sprouts from under the earth. We are expecting high yield this year due to prolonged snowfall in the higher reaches,” said a villager.

The villagers from Sela, Ranthi, Jumma, Tejam, Dar Khumti, Payya Pauri, Lumti, Metli ,Madkot and Bram villages, who had gone to the higher reaches in groups after arranging three months of essential goods for daily use, will stay there up to the month of September this year and will come back after winter snowfall.

The villagers have appealed to Uttarakhand Van Vikas Nigam president Harish Dhami that a policy for Yarsa Gumba should framed as in the absence of a transparent policy, the people who collect Yarsa Gumba with a lot of efforts are being harassed by the police under forest laws.