Rising temperatures, extreme and hot whether has posed a great threat to the Gucchi mushrooms business of 62-year-old Gul Mohammad, who is the resident of the Banda Village of Famous Kamore Mountain in Bajaur District.
Gul is affiliating with this business for the past 40 years. But over the past few years, due to the dry weather, its production has dropped significantly. As a result, his income has dropped by 80%.
Like him, other villagers have also been collecting and selling wild mushroom in the spring season in the forests of Kamore. But according to Gul, production of the rest of the villagers has also dropped.
Gul is unaware of climate change but says that over the last 10 years the production of Gucchi has been slowly declining and now the situation has reached the point where he has collected only half a kilogram of Gucchi this year.
According to him, when the leaves and branches fall from the pine trees, they naturally become compost under the trees. When it rains, the Gucchi grows in large quantities in the compost. Rainfall has been declining over the years, which has adversely affected the production. Now, because of decreased rainfall; the compost areas have been greatly reduced.
According to Dr. Roshan Ali, a senior civil fertility scientist and meteorologist at the Swat Agricultural Research Institute, the weather data from 2008 to 2021 shows major changes. In the past, the temperatures here was low and rainfall was high, which made the weather pleasant, but now it is no longer pleasant. Before 2008, the rains were on time and an average rainfall of 1240 mm was recorded. Minimum temperature was 5C and maximum temperature was 15 to 19 degrees Celsius but this has gradually decreased. In 2014, the rainfall was 733.58mm, the minimum temperature was minus 1.03C, and the maximum temperature was 21.37C.
In 2015, 594.50mm of rain fell, the minimum temperature was 0.37 C, and the maximum temperature was 22.31C.
In 2016, 812.5mm of rain fell, the maximum temperature was 1.28C and 22.86. In 2017, 635.90 mm of rain fell, the minimum temperature was 0.89 C and the maximum temperature was 27.44C.
In 2018, 700 mm of rain fell, the minimum temperature was -1C and the maximum temperature was 38C.
In 2019, there was 688mm rain, minimum temperature was -1C and maximum temperature was 38.44C.
In 2020, there was 988mm of rain, with a minimum of -1C and a maximum of 38C.
Dr. Roshan Ali said that this unexpected change in the weather has affected the production of Gucchi. He feared of further decline of the Gucchi production along with the production in future.
Eight years ago, Gul was collecting approximately 40 kg Guccchi in a season and sell it at Rs. 12,000 to 13,000 per kg. This loss is a matter of concern for his whole family because their home business was an important source of income for them.
According to Gul, not only his family has been affected, but the entire population of his area which is about 500 families. Most of them used to collect Gucchi in the spring and each family earned up to one hundred thousand.
Muhammadullah, a 55-year-old resident of Siddiqabad Tehsil Khar, told this correspondent that he inherited the Gucchi business from his ancestors. His entire family collects it from the Gucchi forests and buys it from other people. A few years ago, he used to collect up to 400 kg of Gucchi annually, but this year, he has collected only five kg.
The largest Gucchi market in Pakistan is in Swat district, from where it is exported domestically and foreign countries. There is no official data available on its annual production in Pakistan. When contacted Gucchi dealers in Swat, they refused to comment.
However, Haji Amir Rehman, who has been running a Gucchi business in Bajaur Khar for 30 years, said that his father and grandfather also used to run Gucchi businesses so it become a family business for him. He said that in earlier years, he used to buy 400 to 450 kg of Gucchi Gucchi in a season which was brought to him by people from other areas of Bajaur including Kamangara, Mamond Spray, Salarzon Sarvano, Pusht, Leti, Kemor, Barang and others. He used to buy it at Rs 14,000 per kg and his business was doing well. Now it has been declining for the last eight to ten years. This season they have bought only 30 kg of Gucchi, which is much less than in previous years. Amir also said that some people used to sell Gucchi outside Bajaur itself after collecting it.
According to Amir, the quality of spring Gucchi is good and they buy it at Rs. 14,000 per kg whereas they buy summer Gucchi at Rs.80, 00. Amir said that Mingora has its big market in Swat. They sell it to foreign countries. Amir said that other Gucchi businessmen of Bajaur have left this business and started other businesses because of the problems but many don’t because it is a business inherited from their elders.
Amir said that he thinks that the reason why Gucchi is valuable is because it is used as medicine. Many people come to him and ask for a few grains of Gucchi. When he asks them what they need, they tell him that a family member has eye disease with tears in their eyes. They use Gucchi to squeeze out because it heals. So people also use it as traditional at home medicine.
Gucchi is generally said to be very useful for health and is used in medicine to prevent various diseases. When we inquired about this from the eminent sage of Bajaur, Mushtaq Ahmad, he said that Allah Almighty has endowed Gucchi with the properties of perfection and that is why it is used not only in Greek medicine but also in the medicine of Elopathy.
According to Mushtaq, Gucchi is used in: penicillin, male potency, eye diseases, cancer and many other medicines: but they have used it only in potions and not in other medicines.
The other problem is that Gucchi has become very expensive so medicines made from it are also very expensive. People here cannot afford to buy expensive medicines.
Gul said that Gucchi was a domestic business for him but now he has to bear a lot of financial loss. Gul said Gucchi was a domestic business for him but now he was suffering financially. And that is why now not only he but also other people of the village go to other cities of the country including Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi for hard labor. But even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person.
Gul added that he has extensive experience in the Gucchi business so if the government helps him with it, it would benefit him. In addition, the government should take steps to protect the natural forests in Kemor and other mountains, and the people should also avoid deforestation so as to increase the production of gypsum and restore our employment.
The total area of Bajaur district is 1,290 km2. Bajaur Forest Department has planted forests on 470,000 acres. Similarly, there are 40,000 acres of mountains and natural forests. There are natural forests in the Kemor Mountains of Bajaur, Arang, Alizo Batai, Salarzon Batwar, the upper areas of Mamond and the hilly areas of Charmang.
According to Mohibullah Dawar, Divisional Forest Officer, Bajaur District, they have set up local level committees for the protection of natural forests in different parts of Bajaur, which has had good results so far. At the same time, the forest department is planting seeds in natural forests to increase the forest area in which Gucchi can be grown again and production can be increased.
Gul Badshah, Senior Supervisor, Department of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP), Bajaur District, said that there was no doubt that climate change had reduced rainfall and affected the production of Gucchi. Harvesting has also increased, which has had a negative impact on the environment.
He said that he did not have any data on how many people in Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Bajaur district were involved in the Gucchi business and how many were affected now. But the business has slowed down due to climate change, which has had a detrimental effect on people’s economic lives. This is why their department is now distributing mushrooms to farmers and unemployed people. Which can produce more in less time?
Gul Badshah said that this year they have distributed 300 ready-made bags of mushroom seeds and storage stands among the landlords and unemployed youth who have provided good yields in the past, so we will give it to them next year as well as bags. We will also increase the number so that more people can benefit.
