July 31: The price of Cordyceps this season has caused disappointment and frustration among people living in the highlands. This year, the highest price that a kilogram of Cordyceps fetched was over Nu. 250,000.
The people of Sephu geog anxiously waited for the auction day. Almost all the people whom BBS talked to expected almost the same price they fetched last year. But at the auction, they were disheartened by the price.
Attired in their best clothes and carrying their precious Cordyceps in their bags, the people of Sephu geog on Monday headed towards the Gup’s Office where the Cordyceps auction was held.
As the auction began people craned their necks in the crowd to see if the price was shooting up or not. When the price of the Cordyceps increased, they grinned at each other and heaved a sigh of relief. But the bidders were determined not to let the price to cross beyond Nu. 200,000.
And as the price dropped below Nu. 100,000, some walked away disappointed. They said they would rather sell it among themselves. But this is illegal.
Those people who sold their Cordyceps in the mountains while harvesting were able to fetch good price. They fetched between Nu. 40 to Nu. 50 for a piece of Cordyceps. But at the auction the price dropped below Nu. 30.
The highest price for a kilogram of Cordyceps this year in Sephu geog was Nu. 191,000 against Nu. 330,000 last year.
However, there were some people who were satisfied with the price they have fetched.
According to Dorji Rinchen from the Agriculture Marketing Unit of the Agriculture Ministry, the price of Cordyceps has gone down in the international market.
The Agriculture Ministry’s Marketing Unit has so far this year conducted Cordyceps auction in seven places in Thimphu, Paro, Gasa and Wangdue Phodrang Dzongkhags.
More than 500 kilograms of Cordyceps were sold. Sephu geog sold 204 kilograms of Cordyceps, the highest so far this year. 486 people of the geog took part in the auction from almost 800 permits issued.
Source: bbs.com.bt |
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