Kathmandu, 28 Nov: Due to their tendency to live in groups, being easy to catch, and having a good selling price, crowds of people have started searching for patero larvae found under stones along riverbanks. When a family of four searches in the early morning, they can collect up to one kilogram of patero larvae and earn 3,200 rupees right on the riverbank. Since buyers purchase the larvae on-site and pay in cash, locals living along the riverbanks of Dhading, Kavrepalanchok, Ramechhap, and Sindhupalchok have stopped sand-sifting and fishing, and have begun collecting patero larvae instead.
Locals have even started camping along the riversides to collect these larvae that live in groups. Because it is easier to collect them during evening and morning—and because they fetch a good price—people can be seen working day and night in rivers such as Dhading’s Trishuli, Lamjung’s Borang and Chepe rivers, and the Indrawati and Sunkoshi rivers of Kavrepalanchok and Sindhupalchok.
“We don’t know about the laws; we just collect the larvae we find in the river and sell them alive. We have earned good money and can now buy basic necessities,” said Bir Kaman Majhi of Indrawati Rural Municipality, Sindhupalchok. He added that if the government says collecting them is illegal, they will stop.
Unclear Legal Status and Chinese Demand Fueling the Trade
K.P. Pandey of Temal Rural Municipality said that large crowds have formed along riverbanks searching for patero larvae. “It’s good that this provides income, but the local government and concerned agencies should quickly understand its benefits and risks,” he said. He emphasized that if there is good market value and the trade is legal, the government should plan for its sustainable production.
Head of the District Agriculture Development Office, Dhulikhel, Kul Prasad Dawadi, said he is unaware of why and for what purpose these river-dwelling larvae are being collected. “Based on the photo, they look like patero larvae, but I don’t know their use or purpose,” he said.
In Chaitra 2081, police arrested one person with four kilograms of patero larvae. According to DSP Resham Bohora of District Police Office Lamjung, 51-year-old Jimpa Tamang of Ruby Valley Rural Municipality, Dhading, was arrested with four kilograms of larvae collected from the Borang and Chepe rivers in Lamjung. Tamang had confessed that he bought the larvae from locals and sold them to Chinese traders. Chinese buyers purchase them through local agents and do not contact locals directly.
Police handed Tamang and the larvae over to the Division Forest Office, Lamjung. According to Deepak Prasad Pandit, Chief of the Division Forest Office, Tamang admitted that he sold the larvae to Chinese traders at 12,000 rupees per kilogram. His court case is still pending.
He said that in China, such larvae are used to make medicinal ointments for skin diseases and are also used as traditional medicine. Although authorities say that collecting and distributing these larvae may lead to up to three months of imprisonment or a fine of up to 20,000 rupees, DSP Bohora could not specify under which law this provision falls.
After receiving reports that larvae collection was increasing along the Indrawati and Sunkoshi rivers, the District Police Office Kavrepalanchok coordinated with the Division Forest Office to collect samples. DSP Rabin Bista of Kavre said that after seeing photos of people collecting larvae on social media, teams from the Forest Office and Police visited the Sunkoshi riverbank to investigate.
