True Morels (Morchella Spp.) and Community Livelihood Improvement in Mankial Valley, District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Syed Fazal Baqi Kakakhel

doi:10.35691/jbm.0202.0140

Abstract

True morels collected from wild provide an economic source for the rural community of Mankial valley (District Swat, Khyber Pukhtunkhawa, Pakistan). Sale of approximately 334 kg in dry weight of five species of true morels (Morchella conica, M. esculenta, M. deliciosa, M. rotunda and M. semilibera) fetch US$ 57133 (under US$ 2015-16 exchange rate) to Mankial community and generate a revenue of US$ 62935 in Mingora (regional market) and US$ 87011 in Islamabad (national capital) markets. Morchella conica (average annual dry weight harvested 156 kg) has a high market price value (US$ 2964-44616) in all the three markets. M. esculenta (average annual dry weight harvested 120 kg) the second most harvested species (fetching US$ 20640-32040), M. deliciosa (34 kg; US$ 4216-6460), M. rotunda (13 kg; US$ 1482-2223) and M. semilibera (11 kg; US$ 1155-1672) appeared in decreasing order.

Highlights

True morels (Morchella spp.) or spongy mushroom are edible wild fungi (Kuo, 2005) having unique taste (Rotzoll et al, 2006), high market value (Weber, 1995; Kuo, 2005) and increasing demand in international market (Wang et al, 2015; Yang et al, 2016)
Morels are found in Mankial valley and play a vital role as a resource of income for the local community
Market rates for all the species were lower in Mankial market followed by those in Mingora and the highest reported for Islamabad market

Summary

Introduction

True morels (Morchella spp.) or spongy mushroom are edible wild fungi (Kuo, 2005) having unique taste (Rotzoll et al, 2006), high market value (Weber, 1995; Kuo, 2005) and increasing demand in international market (Wang et al, 2015; Yang et al, 2016). It is a supplementary resource of earning for local people in different regions/localities (Bhardwaj and Ghakar, 2005; Lakhanpal et al, 2010; Bunyard and Nicholson, 1994). This study attempted to report the contribution of morel harvesting in livelihood of Mankial valley (district Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) community

Results

Discussion

Conclusion