Sonam Dema 

Sisi shamu, the favourite mushroom among Bhutanese people, has seen a drastic decrease in yield this year.

Packed with lots of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, Chanterelle mushroom is a high-premium fungus eaten for its nutritional benefits.

Farmers say that the mushroom yield in the wild has reduced this year compared with the past. Due to its scarcity, consumers say that the few found in the market are costly. A 250 grams of the mushroom costs between Nu 700 to 800 in the farmers market in Thimphu.

“In the future, due to heavy monsoon, we might see more production,” said Nidup, a vegetable vendor from Paro.

Phurba Tamang from Tsirang said: “After five long hours of mushroom hunting in the wild, I could collect only around 400 grams of sisi shamu.”

He said that the decreasing yield could be due to the erratic climatic conditions, triggered by the changing climate across the world.

According to officials from the National Mushroom Centre, the decreased production is a result of over harvesting by collectors.