MUSTANG: Yarsagumba collection has begun in various parts of Mustang. The collection has started in high-altitude areas under the Kunjo, Kobang, and Tukuche Conservation Area Management Committees within Thasang Rural Municipality of the district.
Yarsagumba is a medicinal herb found at altitudes ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 metres above sea level. Every year, it is collected from more than half a dozen locations in Baragung Muktikshetra, Gharpajhong, and Thasang Rural Municipalities from April to mid-June. Locals, temporary residents, and people from outside the district all travel to these high-altitude areas for collection.
Conservation Area Management Committees (CAMCs) under the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) issue permits for Yarsagumba collection upon payment of a fee, informed Deepak Oli, Natural Resources Conservation Assistant at ACAP Jomsom.
The offices also set procedures and standards for the entire collection period. Permits are issued with specific conditions aimed at preventing risks, poaching, forest fires, and other unwanted or criminal activities during the collection season.
Committee Chair Jiwan Thakali informed that the Kobang CAMC under Thasang Rural Municipality has distributed Yarsagumba collection permits to the general public. According to him, the fee is Rs 3,500 for locals and Rs 7,000 for individuals coming from outside the district.
The Kobang Committee has opened collection sites in areas including Mulikharka, Muli, Padke, Thulo Sare, and Sano Sare. So far, 87 people, including nine locals, have obtained permits for these sites.
Collection has also begun in Batase of Thasang, where 45 people have received permits. The Tukuche Committee has set a fee of Rs 1,000 for locals and Rs 3,000 for outsiders.
Yarsagumba collection has also started in Kunjo. Meanwhile, the Conservation Area Management Committee in Gharpajhong Rural Municipality is preparing to issue permits from Baisakh 25, informed committee secretary Pawan Gurung.
The Jomsom Committee has set a fee of Rs 4,000 for locals of Jomsom, Thini, and Dhumba villages, while people temporarily residing in the area and engaged in farming or local livelihoods are charged Rs 6,000 per person.
The Muktinath Conservation Area Management Committee of Waragung Muktikshetra–1 is preparing to open Yarsagumba collection from Jestha 25. The committee will issue permits for collection in areas including Ner Jhong, Liri, Risamba, and Chhimighwa, informed secretary Lakpatsi Gurung.
There is also a provision that individuals or traders exporting Yarsagumba outside the district must pay a revenue fee of Rs 3,100.
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