Sustainable Development of the Tricholoma Matsutake Industry in Tibetan-Inhabited Regions of Yunnan, and Their Participation in the Global Market: Discussions Based on Value Chain Analysis

This chapter probes into the tricholoma matsutake industry by applying value chain analysis. The author argues that the Tibetans found in the areas that produce tricholoma matsutake receive an extremely small portion of the profits from the global market. This is not only disadvantageous to the interests of the Tibetans but also to the protection of tricholoma matsutake resources. Merchants of tricholoma matsutake in China should work together to enhance their role in the global market and bring an end to the current situation in which they are merely passive price-takers, so as to help the Tibetans gain a larger proportion of the overall profits. Meanwhile, local governments should put higher premiums on the regulation and protection of tricholoma matsutake resources. Moreover, various organizations should establish and maintain effective rules on the collection of tricholoma matsutake. Only with multidirectional policies can China's tricholoma matsutake industry follow the path of steady and sustainable development.