For Rekha Kumari, a homemaker and mom of two from Bihar’s Hathua city, getting into farming and beginning an entrepreneurial journey was life-changing.
For years, her palms had been full with caring for her family and kids. So when her youngsters grew up and left for additional schooling, she didn’t know methods to use her time productively, she says. Whereas searching for concepts, she stumbled upon the scope of mushroom cultivation in her state and determined to attempt her palms at it.
“The most effective half about mushroom farming is that I may be at house and earn a living. It’s handy for girls like me preferring to remain at house and do farming inside our comforts,” says Rekha, who began her enterprise in 2013 with simply Rs 1,000.
“At present, I earn round Rs 3 to 4 lakh a yr. I’ve additionally been coaching folks in mushroom cultivation and worth addition,” she provides.
Presently, like Rekha, many different rural girls within the state of Bihar are incomes a gradual earnings by rising mushrooms.
Based on the info launched by the Nationwide Horticulture Board, Bihar has turn out to be the most important mushroom-producing state within the nation. With round 28,000 metric tonnes of mushrooms produced within the yr 2021-2022, the state has accounted for round 10.82 per cent of the full mushroom manufacturing within the nation.
However this wasn’t the state of affairs within the jap state just a few many years in the past. The mushroom revolution was introduced right here with decades-long expeditions and efforts.
Dr Dayaram, a scientist from the Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural College in Samastipur, performed an essential position in selling mushroom cultivation in Bihar. Popularly referred to as the ‘mushroom man’, his efforts have been essential in boosting mushroom cultivation within the state to the present stage of success.
“Once I began out my profession as a scientist in Bihar, the state of affairs within the state was completely different. It was economically weaker than it’s at present. After interacting with folks, I realised {that a} majority have been day by day wagers who struggled to even discover work on daily basis. This made me consider a means during which they are often empowered, and I attempted to do it inside my capability,” Dr Dayaram tells The Higher India.
Spurring a mushroom revolution
In 1991, Dr Dayaram joined as an assistant professor and junior scientist within the Division of Plant Pathology on the Regional Analysis Station in Madhopur. Alongside senior colleague Dr VK Singh, he started his efforts in mushroom cultivation.
“We began with our deal with oyster mushrooms and researched its scope and potential. I additionally carried out free coaching programmes for folks on oyster mushroom cultivation. Over time, I used to be in a position to do my half in popularising mushroom farming within the state. Finally, the state authorities additionally realised the potential of mushroom cultivation,” says Dr Dayaram, including that again then, mushrooms have been extra connected to the idea of eradicating malnutrition.
In 1999, with the popularisation of mushroom cultivation, the state authorities was prepared to provide out funds for its improvement. “The federal government sanctioned round Rs 24 lakh for the event of mushroom cultivation,” he provides.
The next yr, when Dr Dayaram was moved to the college headquarters, he began researching button mushroom cultivation.
“We slowly began researching extra types of mushrooms. Thus far, now we have developed applied sciences and procedures to domesticate round six varieties — specifically oyster, button, milky, shiitake, hericium, and paddy straw. These applied sciences have helped enhance the yield. Now we have additionally been doing plenty of groundwork in disseminating these applied sciences to folks by coaching programmes and workshops,” says Dr Dayaram.
He additionally provides, “Round three years in the past, Bihar was thirteenth by way of mushroom manufacturing. At present, with our efforts, the state has topped with over two lakh mushroom farmers, amongst which the bulk are girls. It has turn out to be a greater and extra handy supply of earnings for them”
“Among the many two lakh cultivators, there are round 123 management models that develop mushrooms around the yr below managed situations. Their minimal manufacturing is 500kg per day and the utmost is round 10 tonnes per day. The remainder are seasonal cultivators who do it in seasons or in a small means, every time they’ve time,” he says.
A couple of years in the past, when the manufacturing was amplified throughout the state, Dr Dayaram and his staff got here up with the thought of the worth addition of mushrooms. “We initiated the idea of constructing value-added merchandise out of mushrooms, thereby growing the scope of its cultivation. We developed greater than 50 merchandise, amongst which 10 have been branded and can be found domestically,” he provides. These embody mushroom powder, pickles, cookies, samosas, namkeen, and ladoos.
“We have been in a position to develop the potential of mushroom in facets like spawn manufacturing, compost manufacturing, round-the-year mushroom manufacturing, processing, packaging, product improvement, and advertising and marketing. The analysis has resulted in formulating spawn varieties that may be cultivated each season in Bihar, thereby serving to farmers develop mushrooms all year long,” says Dr Dayaram.
The college now gives a number of coaching programmes and programs for people who find themselves occupied with mushroom cultivation.
“From a one-day coaching course to a year-long certificates course, now we have a variety of programs on rising various kinds of mushrooms. All of the programs are paid, aside from SC/ST candidates,” he provides.
In the meantime, Rekha says, “I think about Dayaram ji my guru. I learnt all of the facets of mushroom cultivation below a coaching programme led by him. So, every time I’ve a doubt, I name him immediately to get his recommendation and recommendations. He has at all times been comfortable to assist farmers like us.”
Understanding the actual potential of the fungi, the federal government of Bihar has been broadly selling its cultivation and manufacturing throughout the state. “The state authorities is at present providing a 50 per cent subsidy for mushroom farmers. Round 28 tonnes of mushrooms have been produced in 2021-22 and we expect round 35 tonnes within the upcoming yr,” he says.
Edited by Divya Sethu; Photograph credit: Dr Dayaram