05-29-2008, 02:37 AM
<!--emo&:ind--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/india.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='india.gif' /><!--endemo--> Uâkhand takes control of its Viagra cousin
S.M.A. Kazmi
Tribune News Service
Dehra Dun, May 28
In Uttarakhand, thereâs been a free run on âYarchagumbaâ â a unique herb-cum-fungus â seen to be an alternative to Viagra.
No more. The government has empowered âVan Panchayatsâ to extract and market the aphrodisiac.
It has good reason to. âYarchagumbaâ is illegally taken out of the state and sold at more than Rs 1 lakh for a kilogram in China, Nepal and Hong Kong by common people and organised gangs.
As the snow melts, hundreds of villagers, many from Nepal, camp near the higher reaches of Chamoli and Pitthoragarh to extract the herb. Over time, some Nepali smugglers from Chamoli have also been arrested but the plunder has been going on unchecked.
Now, while the âVan Panchayatsâ get the right to extract "Yarchagumba", âBheshej Sanghâ, a cooperative selling herbs and medicinal plants, will scout for buyers in the world market.
âYarchagumbaâ â its botanical name is âcordyceps sinensisâ, is neither a plant nor an insect. At heart, it is a fungus that grows out of caterpillar larvae. It is like grass, which is two inches above the ground. The larvae, also of the same size, remain underground.
It is believed that, among Tibetan tribals, this herb was given to old horses to maintain their strength and vitality.
The demand for the herb has been going up steadily and, in the past about four years, armed smugglers from Nepal have been using terror tactics around the higher reaches of Pitthoragarh to corner huge profits.
With their Indian counterparts, these smugglers are also posing a threat to the wildlife in the higher reaches.
âSo many unwanted and armed people in the alpine zones have added to our worries. We have told our staff to be vigilant,â Shrikant Chandola, chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand, said.
But, with the government acting as a facilitator to stop the illegal collection of the herb, âBheshaj Sanghsâ would now be able to buy at a rate of Rs 50,000 a kilo from âVan Panchayatsâ and sell the herb further at fat profit.
âWe are hopeful of more than 700-800 kilogram of herb this season,â S.K. Singh, additional secretary (herbs), said.
A time to stimulate revenue earning, surely...
S.M.A. Kazmi
Tribune News Service
Dehra Dun, May 28
In Uttarakhand, thereâs been a free run on âYarchagumbaâ â a unique herb-cum-fungus â seen to be an alternative to Viagra.
No more. The government has empowered âVan Panchayatsâ to extract and market the aphrodisiac.
It has good reason to. âYarchagumbaâ is illegally taken out of the state and sold at more than Rs 1 lakh for a kilogram in China, Nepal and Hong Kong by common people and organised gangs.
As the snow melts, hundreds of villagers, many from Nepal, camp near the higher reaches of Chamoli and Pitthoragarh to extract the herb. Over time, some Nepali smugglers from Chamoli have also been arrested but the plunder has been going on unchecked.
Now, while the âVan Panchayatsâ get the right to extract "Yarchagumba", âBheshej Sanghâ, a cooperative selling herbs and medicinal plants, will scout for buyers in the world market.
âYarchagumbaâ â its botanical name is âcordyceps sinensisâ, is neither a plant nor an insect. At heart, it is a fungus that grows out of caterpillar larvae. It is like grass, which is two inches above the ground. The larvae, also of the same size, remain underground.
It is believed that, among Tibetan tribals, this herb was given to old horses to maintain their strength and vitality.
The demand for the herb has been going up steadily and, in the past about four years, armed smugglers from Nepal have been using terror tactics around the higher reaches of Pitthoragarh to corner huge profits.
With their Indian counterparts, these smugglers are also posing a threat to the wildlife in the higher reaches.
âSo many unwanted and armed people in the alpine zones have added to our worries. We have told our staff to be vigilant,â Shrikant Chandola, chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand, said.
But, with the government acting as a facilitator to stop the illegal collection of the herb, âBheshaj Sanghsâ would now be able to buy at a rate of Rs 50,000 a kilo from âVan Panchayatsâ and sell the herb further at fat profit.
âWe are hopeful of more than 700-800 kilogram of herb this season,â S.K. Singh, additional secretary (herbs), said.
A time to stimulate revenue earning, surely...