TRIPURAKOT, DOLPA: The annual Yarsagumba harvest season will officially start in the himalayan district of Dolpa from May 15.

According to Shey Phoksundo National Park, the permit letters would be distributed for stipulated amount for entry inside the Yarsagumba Patan sector located within the park for picking the precious summer plant cum winter bug. Park's Conservation Official Ramdev Chaudhary said, this year the entrance to the sector would open a week earlier compared to last year. Chaudhary added that the park and buffer zone staff will be sent to various transit points to sell the entry tickets for those waiting for Yarsagumba picking season to start. Three different types of permits would be distributed, which include ticket worth Rs 1,000 for public within the buffer zone areas, Rs 2,500 for people outside the buffer zone and Rs 3,500 for people outside the district. Thousands of people arrive in Dolpa's Yarsagumba Patan sector from Rukum, Jajarkot and Salyan among other districts to collect the precious herb found at an altitude ranging from 3,000 metres to 4,000 metres above sea level. The Park said the permits would be distributed only for a month once the collection season starts. The invaluable herb has been a major source of income for the people in Dolpa.