Daily Times

UPPER DIR: A herbal plant “Matar zela” a root-like small plant, found in the mountains in Upper Dir, became an alternative source of income for mushroom dealers who have disappointed after decline in the business of mushroom.

Local people said that they had been considering Matar Zela a common plant which is found in the high mountains in mountainous areas including Thal, Kumrat, Lamoti, Gawaldi, Patrak, Atrango and others in Upper for years. And no one was giving any importance to it an idle plant. Hardly a few people used it as a medicine.

Said Rasool, a resident of Patrak, said that they used to search for mushrooms in the mountains in rainy season as it was a profitable business for them. After decline in mushroom business they had got disappointed. However, a few of their business partners in Dir asked about the Matar Zela that whether it was found in their area or not, he added.

The partner told him that the plant could new sources of income for them, he maintained. Khaista Muhammad, resident of Thal, said that they were happy with Matar Zela got famous because it was found in big amount compare to mushrooms. He said that though it was a most difficult job to do and it had to climb on high mountains for getting the plant. However, he added, a satisfactory act was that the plant is found throughout the year instead of mushrooms that was produced for a very little period of time in a year.

Azeem, a dealer of mushroom in Dir Bazar, said that they bought Matar Zela on Rs3000 to 4000 per kilogram from local people and then it is being supplied to big markets in Peshawar, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi. He said that they also did not know for what purpose it was being used however dealers from Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Mardan had told them that it was used in homeopathic medicine.

Another businessman, Badshahudin, said that Matar Zela was a more profitable product instead of mushroom because it could not decompose like mushroom and it could be kept for years fearlessly. “We do not think about loss in Matar Zela business because it can store for years and it does not spoil and rotted like mushroom,” said Badshahudin.

Salahudin, a dealer in Dir Bazar, said that they had lost millions of rupees in mushroom business due to dropping down of its prices in big markets and thus they had to keep those mushrooms in stores and it had decomposed and expired. However, he added, they were earning some extra money from Matar Zela business which was helping in recovery of their loss. He said that they and local people who brought and sell Matar Zela had got more satisfied by getting profit from it.