Hunting for precious matsutake in the Shangri-La forest(2)

By afternoon, Drolma has collected a large bamboo basket of matsutake. Her son, Lozang Choden, immediately packages them to sell at the market.

Mushroom purchased from a forager sells at about 15 U.S. dollars per kilogram. But the price increases as the mushrooms change hands. Exported mushrooms can sell for as much as 1,000 U.S. dollars per kilogram.