India: Govt to encourage mushroom growers
Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hussain Mir inaugurated one day Mushroom Mela, 2011 organized by Directorate of Agriculture Jammu in collaboration with Directorate of Mushroom Research (ICAR), Chambaghat, Solan (H.P) at Krishi Bhawan here today. Speaking on the occasion, Mir said that main objective of organizing such programmes was to make the farmers aware about the latest technologies available with the department. Mir said that it is proposed to create facilities for producing pasteurized compost to provide the same for the mushroom growers for increasing productivity. He disclosed that the department is providing assistance to mushroom growers for establishment of commercially viable units of mushroom houses on the latest techniques of mushroom cultivation. The intervention is designed to address the issue of unemployment to a significant extent by also providing opportunities to the interested youth to grow mushrooms round the year on commercial scale and   ultimately contribute to raise production and economic status.

He said that these interventions will boost the cultivation of mushrooms in non traditional and potential areas for meeting its ever growing demand because of food quality and nutritional value. The units will facilitate demonstration of technology at farmer’s field, utilization of the agricultural/crop by-products and the waste from allied sectors like poultry manure, wheat bhusa, wheat bran etc and provide seasonal employment to the farming community in urban as well as rural areas. Director Agriculture Ajay Khajuria, in his address, said that the region being blessed with varied agro climatic conditions, abundance of needed agricultural waste and untapped man power is suitable for cultivation of all types of temperate and sub-tropical mushrooms. He further added that in Jammu region 750 tones of mushroom, mainly of white button type is produced which is not sufficient to cater the need of region. He said that the existing productivity level of mushrooms per quintal compost i.e about 15 kg is quite low and it can be enhanced substantially upto 28-30 kg with better scientific interventions.


Source: greaterkashmir.com