RENUKA RAI | Thimphu
The Cordyceps auction for 2026 recorded the lowest auctioned quantity in five years, with only 73.02 kilograms sold through the auction process, while 227.15 kilograms was withdrawn after collectors did not accept the prices offered by bidders.
The Annual Cordyceps Auction 2026 report of the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives (DAMC) shows that 300.16 kilograms of Cordyceps was reported as the total quantity transacted across eight auction centres. Of this, 73.02 kilograms were auctioned, and 227.15 kilograms were withdrawn, accounting for 75.67 percent of the reported total quantity transacted.
The report attributes the large volume of withdrawals mainly to low bid prices offered by bidders. It states that collectors did not receive their expected prices, which resulted in the withdrawal of Cordyceps during the auction.
The 2026 auction involved 2,317 collectors and 29 bidders. The report also records 105 bidder participations across the eight auction centres, reflecting participation by bidders at different venues.
The wide difference in bid values was also reflected across the auction centres. Chokhor gewog centre recorded a highest bid of Nu 2.505 million and a lowest bid of Nu 58,000, while Sephu recorded a highest bid of Nu 3.302 million and a lowest bid of Nu 122,000.
According to the DAMC’s five-year trend analysis, 695 kilograms were auctioned in 2022, the highest quantity recorded during the period. The auction value that year was Nu 414.7 million.
In 2023, the quantity dropped sharply to 128 kilograms, an 81.6 percent decrease from 2022. The auction value also fell to Nu 118 million, a 71.5 percent decline.
The quantity increased modestly in 2024 to 138 kilograms, while the auction value rose to Nu 144.21 million.
In 2025, the auctioned quantity increased again to 169.79 kilograms, the highest quantity recorded after 2022. However, the auction value fell considerably to Nu 62.79 million. The report attributes the decline in value mainly to a fall in Cordyceps prices in international markets.
In 2026, the quantity fell to 73.02 kilograms, the lowest level recorded during the five years. At the same time, the auction value increased to Nu 162.5 million, representing a 158.8 percent increase from 2025.
The report states that, compared with 2022, the quantity auctioned in 2026 was approximately 89.5 percent lower, while the auction value was 60.8 percent lower.
The report show that auction quantity and auction value have not followed the same pattern over the past five years. While the quantity auctioned declined significantly in 2026, the reported auction value increased compared with the previous year.
The 2026 auction followed resolutions adopted at the Annual Cordyceps Stakeholders Meeting held in Punakha from April 29 to 30.
The auction was announced on June 3, while bidder registration was conducted from June 7 to July 7. Correspondence was sent to relevant stakeholders, including the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority, Department of Forests and Park Services, local governments, and security personnel, before the auction began.
The harvesting season normally runs from May to July, and eligible highlanders are issued collection permits by the Department of Forests and Park Services.
Cordyceps is an important livelihood source for highland communities and a significant contributor to the rural economy. It also notes that a Royal Command in 2004 granted exclusive rights to communities residing in cordyceps-growing areas to collect and sell the resource.
Given its high market value, the government has continued to regulate the marketing of cordyceps through the annual auction process.
DAMC coordinates the auction in collaboration with the Department of Forests and Park Services and respective gewog administrations, with security support from the Royal Bhutan Police
