J&K eyes GI tag for Doda’s gucchi mushrooms

Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to pitch for a geographical indication (GI) tag for Doda’s gucchi mushrooms.

Touted as the world’s costliest vegetable, gucchi mushrooms are found in the wilderness. Doda gucchi is one the most popular flavourful, medicinally beneficial mushrooms. It is priced at anything between Rs 30,000 to 50,000 for a kilogram. Scientifically named morchella esculenta, it is prized for its spongy, honeycomb texture and unique flavor.

Chief Agricultural Officer Doda, Anil Gupta told The Kashmir Monitor that including gucchi in the list of GI Tags would be a great way to promote this unique species of fungus.

“We have applied for its GI registration with the Registrar of GI Registry, Chennai. Hopefully, we will get the GI Tag soon,” Gupta said.

He added that the GI Tag would hugely benefit the local collectors. “Collection of gnocchis is not easy as it’s not cultivable and grows in the wild. They are usually collected in March-April and July-August after they reach the desired height and diameter. Also, the local people still follow the old method of drying the mushrooms. With GI Tag in place, it would lead to new scientific techniques for collecting and drying. This will therefore improve the yield and fetch better prices,” Gupta added.

It’s important to mention that the Jammu and Kashmir administration recently constituted a new policy for the sustainable collection and utilization of non-forest timber produce (NTFP) in the UT. The non-forest timber produce includes Gucchi mushrooms as well.

 “The present management of NTFPs, including medicinal plants involves collecting certain species by way of auction for royalty by the forest department. With this policy in use, the practice of auction will be discontinued and local people will be allowed to collect these resources from the wild on a sustainable basis and benefits accrued will be shared equitably among them,” an official document accessed by The Kashmir Monitor stated.