Jammu farmers find mushroom cultivation profitable

RICH HARVEST: NGOs and the state government help small-time agriculturists with technical expertise and inputs.

Yash Pal, a small-time farmer from Bein Bajalta in Jammu, who had been unable to cultivate enough grains for his family from his plot of land, has now shifted his focus to the cultivation of mushroom.

Last year, he earned close to Rs 3,000 from the crop at the rate of Rs 500 a month. With three partners, he formed a self-help group guided by a non-governmental organisation called Sawera. Together they earned Rs 12,000.

The total yield from their four mushroom sheds was 240 kg. With a kg fetching Rs 50-60 in the market, they feel the crop has been kind to them.

Mushroom cultivation is attracting many poor farmers and unemployed youth of Kandi and the dry belt of Jammu, Udhampur, Samba and Kathua districts because they have been able to increase their income through greater production.

Though the state agriculture department has created a separate wing for the promotion and development of mushroom in view of its high consumption, a few NGOs are also encouraging unemployed youth to cultivate it.

The NGO Sawera, Gurmeet Singh of Jammu and his team members, has been helping farmers in mushroom cultivation. Gurmeet has created about 100-odd self-help groups in Jammu and Samba districts, which are involved in mushroom cultivation. "We are providing seeds and expertise and also helping them get loans from local banks," he said.

Mushroom is emerging as a more viable crop for farmers here. Pal, for example, started cultivation three-and-a-half years ago after he abandoned vegetables in the absence of irrigation facilities.

He said 12 other farmers in the village on the outskirts of Jammu are now sending mushroom to the Jammu mandi. The only hurdle they face is absence of a cold storage facility. The NGO has approached the agriculture department for this.

Tarsem Kumar, a youth from Gajnasoo-Marh, is producing about 100-120 kg mushroom per month. He is part of a self-help group that has eight members.

"It is profitable. Cultivation starts in September and can be extended up to February. We can do it in our homes in our 15 square feet sheds,'' he says.

Each of them grow 4-5 kg of it a month. The inputs are minimum. Old manure from cow dung, poultry waste, fresh wheat straw and a mixture of potash and gypsum are the main investment besides seeds, which are provided by the NGO or the agriculture department. Technical support was given by the experts associated with the NGO.

Farmers have to invest hardly 30-35 per cent of the total money they earn from the crop per season and with the current rate for mushrooms in Jammu being Rs 50-60 per kg, it is turning out to be a profitable alternative.