Ganoderma industry in Nepal: current status and future prospects

Abstract

Ganoderma has long been regarded as one of the most important medicinal mushrooms, particularly in China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula for millennia to enhance longevity and health. Ganoderma and its allied products are a multi-billion-dollar worth industry worldwide. Ganoderma, which is considered an important non-timber forest product (NTFP) in Nepal, has entered the industrial market only a decade ago. Besides the global market, the domestic market has grown dramatically in recent years. Ganoderma is collected in large quantities (about 4-10 tons per year) from Nepalese forests to meet its rising demand and is mostly sold to China in crude form. Since the authority has poor knowledge of the Ganoderma market it is transported with minimal royalty of US$ 0.043/kg under the heading entitled “sadharan chyau”. Almost all of Nepal's Ganoderma comes from natural stands, with the bulk coming from the Karnali (46%) and Far West (50%) provinces. With the great potential for the Ganoderma business, most of the other areas of the country have yet to be fully explored. By establishing processing units and offering locally priced micro-enterprise technologies, there are several opportunities for value addition. However, it looks that sustaining a steady supply of this highly sought mushroom will be tough. Concerns have been expressed about overexploitation of wild Ganoderma obtained in an unsustainable way or at an early stage. For the long-term management of Ganoderma and its habitat protection, a solid local resource monitoring system and scientific intervention for artificial cultivation are required. This study attempts to summarize the trade dynamics and development of the Ganoderma industry in Nepal with reference to the global Ganoderma industry.