Selling for Rs 8,000 per kg, morel mushrooms ‘Guchhi’ can boost income of Kullu villagers
Abhinav Vashisht
Kullu, April 3
Villagers in Kullu have started visiting forests in search of morel mushrooms, commonly known as ‘Guchhi’ in the region, after recent rainfall in the valley. ‘Guchhi’ is not cultivated and it grows naturally due to rain and thunderstorms during the spring season. Experts say that moist and humid weather conditions during the winter boost the growth of this edible fungus.
Rahul Thakur, a resident of Shainshar village in the Sainj valley, says that he has got the first harvest of ‘Guchhi’ of this season. He adds, “Due to continuous rainfall for the past three days, he has gathered about four kilogram of ‘Guchhi’. People have started turning to forests to harvest ‘Guchhi’ after the recent rainfall.”
PM Modi fond of this wild mushroom
- ‘Guchhi’ vegetable is tasty and beneficial for health
- It reportedly has medicinal properties as well and is sold at a high price in the market
- Villagers of Kullu earn a good amount of money by harvesting it from forests and selling it in the market at high prices
- This highly-priced delicacy is available in many high-end hotels around the world
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fond of the ‘Guchhi’ vegetable and enjoys it whenever he visits Himachal Pradesh
- ‘Guchhi’ is often served in the homes of well-to-do families in Kullu district
‘Guchhi’ vegetable is tasty and beneficial for health. It is believed to have medicinal properties as well. It is sold at a high price in the market. People earn a good amount of money by harvesting it from forests and selling it in the market. This highly-priced delicacy is also available in many high-end hotels around the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fond of the exotic ‘Guchhi’ vegetable and enjoys it whenever he visits Himachal. ‘Guchhi’ is often served in the homes of well-to-do families in Kullu.
Dried ‘Guchhi’, usually known for a painstaking hunt in forests, is sold for around Rs 8,000 per kg. Amit Sood, an entrepreneur engaged in ‘Guchhi’ trading, says that about 4 to 5 tonnes of ‘Guchhi’ is produced in the valley. It sprouts naturally in shady forest floors, orchards, yards and meadows in the middle and lower Himalayan regions. This species is found naturally in the upper reaches of many districts of Himachal Pradesh, namely Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur and Chamba.
In Kullu, ‘Guchhi’ is found in abundance in the forests of the Manikaran valley, Sainj valley, Manali and Banjar areas. The produce of this region is in high demand and the business of this rare wild mushroom worth crores of rupees is done in Kullu every year. It provides a commercially productive alternative source of income to the people of the region. However, the quantity of this wild vegetable has decreased over the past decade.
