Mushroom cultivation gaining traction in Lucknow region

Lucknow

Amid the clarion call from the government and agricultural experts to diversify the farm basket in India for long-term sustainability and boosting the rural economy, the cultivation of mushrooms is gaining traction in central Uttar Pradesh districts, especially the Lucknow region.

Mushroom cultivation is now being done not only in almost all the blocks of Lucknow district but also in Hardoi, Barabanki, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur and Unnao districts.

While button mushroom has been quite popular with the farmers owing to its bountiful yield during the November-February cycle, the growers are now also looking at other rich varieties which can sustain the warm weather, especially during the March-October months.

In this regard, milky mushroom is providing an “excellent alternative” to the farmers as it can be easily grown and also has good market potential, according to Dr Shailendra Rajan, the director of Lucknow-based ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH).

Being rich in protein (20-40%), fibre (0.5-1.3%) and minerals (0.5-1.4%) and low in carbohydrate (3.0-5.2%), fat (0.10-.034%) and calories (16-37), mushroom is considered as a ‘health food’ for diabetic and heart patients. Therefore, mushroom growers are not only improving their health but also contributing to the fight against general malnutrition.

Rajan noted that owing to the proactive efforts by the CISH, mushroom production is on an upwards trajectory in Lucknow and the adjoining districts, particularly among the youth in both the urban and rural pockets.

This was made possible by round-the-year on-demand training of growers, he said, adding apart from organising focussed training programmes, the Institute also arranges throughout the year for the training of such individuals as seek similar training sessions throughout the year.

In fact, some highly successful growers are said to have earned up to 10 times their investment. To help the growers, the Institute is also working on value addition and mushroom preservation for product development.

“Post-training, a follow-up is also maintained through WhatsApp groups and telephonic conversations to improve the technical deficiencies and to maintain the supply of spawn as per demand,” Rajan mentioned in a press communiqué.

An average of 30 per cent annual increase in the demand of spawn is an indicator of the growth of oyster and milky mushroom production in the region, he said, adding that a good number of commercial button mushroom growers have also adopted oyster and milky mushrooms during the previous two years.

For long, the Barabanki district had been the button mushroom production hub in the region, but owing to various factors, the district has still not adopted the round-the-year cultivation of the cash crop.

Meanwhile, the first training programme on milky mushroom production was organised on April 6, 2021, at the Rehmankhera campus of ICAR-CISH, in which 47 farmers and urban youth from Hardoi, Lucknow, Shahjahanpur and Unnao districts had participated.

After the lecture and practical training sessions, the farmers were handed over a mushroom production kit and mushroom literature so that they could take up mushroom cultivation soon thereafter.

(Virendra Singh Rawat is a Lucknow-based journalist who writes on contemporary issues of industry, economy, agriculture, infrastructure, budget etc.)