Vrinda Sharma SOLAN: Mushroom farming in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh has revived the fortunes of locals in a big way over the past few years. With the initial investment as low as Rs.5,000 and a profit of Rs.20 to Rs.50 on every kg of mushroom, the lucrative returns have motivated many farmers to take to mushroom farming along with their standard cultivation. Over 40 families in Solan are involved in mushroom farming. The credit for this transition goes to the National Research Centre for Mushroom (NRCM) here which provides quality seeds and training to farmers. Centre's guidance The 25-year-old centre provides guidance on crop production, protection, improvement, crop nutrition and utilisation. Twenty-nine-year-old Pavitra and her husband were living at subsistence level till three years ago, when they converted their store room into a mushroom farm. Today, with NRCM's technical guidance, they have acquired another shack and earned over Rs.1 lakh last year. "Initially we grew them only for additional income, now it is full time. We sell it in the market and make over Rs.30 on each kg,' she says. The NRCM Director, Dr. A. K. Tiwari, says: "The method is fairly easy and there is enormous potential in the mushroom industry. In India over 85 per cent of the mushroom we produce is the white button variety but we are trying to promote the other varieties like milky, brown button and Red Rishi Pink Oyster also." "There is,' he adds, "need to create public awareness and refined technology. The centre is working to create general awareness among the people about mushrooms, their nutritional qualities and their potential as an income-generating high value crop.' At NRCM, over a dozen scientists work day and night trying to perfect each one of the over 1,000 varieties of mushroom which have been discovered over the last few years. Dr. M. C. Yadav, senior scientist (genetics and breeding) is trying to develop a variety from the milky mushroom which would have a shorter sty and a wider umbrella'. "There is a lot of scope in the mushroom industry, but we will need diversification because unlike other mushroom producing countries like China, we consume only one kind of mushroom out of a thousand choices.' Vikas Mushroom Farms owner Vikas Mehta has been growing mushrooms for the past three decades. "The farm produces over 30,000 bags of mushrooms every year but we are aiming at producing one lakh bags. It is a labour-intensive job and in a year there are three to four crops. The annual return comes up to over 15 lakh rupees,' he discloses. The mushroom farming culture thus has brought new sources of income and employment to farmers along with a healthy option of food whose cost has not risen as steeply as others.