Why one of Asia's poorest countries grows Japan's cash

Japan has long harvested a shrub called mitsumata for its money supply. But when mitsumata started dying out, Japan frantically searched for alternatives to make yen.It found a lifeline in the foothills of the Himalayas. A low-value crop called argeli grew abundantly and served as a perfect replacement for mitsumata.Argeli was worth very little, often the only option for farmers who'd lost their crops to wild animals. When the Japanese arrived, they turned the once low-value argeli into a cash c