Cordyceps – Layap golden goose

October 26: Dressed in mathra gho and sneakers, Gou, 45 is on his way to Punakha. Unlike many Layaps, who spend the winter in Punakha trading and working for others, Gou is on his way to complete some formalities to buy fixed assets.

He wants to buy five acres of land near Khuruthang. “I’ve already bought a few acres and paid them half the price,” said Gou. On his recent visit, he paid another Nu 30,000. Villagers consider Gou to be one of many successful Layaps.

Many Bhutanese believe that Layaps are among of the most well to do rural folk in the country. The yardstick being the bags of rice stocked in the corners of their houses and ready cash they can take out from the corners of their doms (boxes). Layaps portray that they are poor but, as more of them buy property and build new and bigger houses, their prosperity is becoming evident.

“Gone are the days when Layaps were considered embodiments of suffering, toiling day and night,’’ said a school dropout, Wangchu, from Lubcha village.

The agent of change, Layaps say, is the legalisation of the collection of cordycep sinensis (Yartsa goenbub) in 2004. “Legalising yartsa goenbub by the King was like giving us a winning lottery ticket,” said Tenzin, who said his lifestyle changed within a few years after that. “The new rule was fundamental in improving our living standards.”

Layaps call the period from April 20 to June 28 as the ‘golden period”. This is because, in these two months, they are literally out hunting gold. A kilogramme of good quality yartsa goenbub fetches not less than Nu 100,000.

Recalling his days before he got into the yartsa goenbub business, Wangdue said that the Layap’s source of cash income was very limited. “We depend for food on our barley fields, sell sang (incense) and the produce of yaks for money to buy other essentials,” he said. “Even if our children qualified for higher classes, many could not afford to send them to boarding schools.”

The legalisation of collecting cordyceps, Layaps say, is the greatest gift of the King to the herders. “It changed the lives of almost all Layaps who weren’t lazy and went out to collect the plant.”

Farmers like Tshering feel life in the mountains of northern Bhutan will get even better. “As long as it’s not over-harvested, Layaps will keep minting money,” said Tenzin, adding that almost every villager had changed his lifestyle. But those, who know the Layaps, say Layaps are hardworking people, compared with their brethens in Lunana. “Layaps are hardworking and good businessmen. They’re tough people and know the value of every penny or grain,” said a former gup, now settled in Punakha. “The Lunaps had access to yartsa goenbub, but they never made good money. I heard they used to sell it to the Layaps,” said the former gup.

However, Laya gup Kinley warns that the cash from cordyceps should not make Layaps lazy. ”We’ve survived for generations rearing livestock. “We shouldn’t be complacent,” said gup Kinley. “We can’t depend on Yartsa goenbub for all time. Rules could change. Anything could happen.”

source: kuensel