COIMBATORE: G Rajadurai, 33, who have been operating in an car showroom within the town, wanted to start his own industry round two years in the past. Driven by the information he had learn in a ebook about mushroom cultivation, he went in search of it. "I did a one-day course on mushroom cultivation and also travelled to a lot of mushroom farms around the state," he says.
Today, he runs his own oyster mushroom farm at Athappa Gounden Pudur near the town. He harvests round 80kg a day on the one-acre farm and sells them for round Rs125 in step with kilogram.
Mushrooms have been a favourite in Coimbatore for round 20 years, say cultivators. "Even when mushrooms were unknown in Chennai, Coimbatore people were seeking mushrooms from outlets," says A R Subramanian, who has been cultivating oyster mushrooms within the town for 20 years. Today from bakeries to roadside 'kaalan' shops, mushrooms have virtually turn out to be a staple.
Subramanian, a former marketing professional, said within the early 1990s, he found out there was a requirement for mushrooms. "I found out that it was a 'pull product', something that we don't need to push to outlets," he says. He arrange an oyster mushroom farm in 1993. He says for 20 years he ran his farm on trial. "In 2004, I started a full-fledged mushroom farm in an acre," he says. Today he harvests round 100kg of oyster mushrooms on his farm near Ramachettipalayam near the town. He has 4 cultivation sheds in his farm, each of which can area 1,000 to at least one,500 cultivation baggage.
Today, several people from the town are taking to mushroom cultivation. Mushroom farms within the town cater to hotels, shops, vendors or sellers who retail them.
But the endeavor, which turns out very a promising industry option, can transform a failure if no longer properly applied the usage of clinical and technical strategies, say professionals. Several people who jumped into the industry have deserted it in a couple of months for the lack of awareness, professionals say.
"It is popularly said that mushrooms can be cultivated on terraces and kitchens. But such methods are not viable. Without proper environment, the culture can get contaminated by airborne fungi," says A S Krishnamoorthy, head of the dept of plant pathology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, who also heads the Mushroom Research and Training Centre on the college.
Experts say there are too many people who misinform the ones fascinated about starting mushroom cultivation. When Arun Kumar from Tirupur wanted to arrange a milky mushroom farm, he approached a person who had promoted himself as a professional.
"But I found him to be misleading. I found there were several such people in this field," says Arun Kumar. Today, self-taught in ways, he runs a milky mushroom farm in Tirupur. He has setup the farm in 70 cents in a two-acre land. He says he sells 1kg of mushrooms for round Rs 180 in wholesale. He provides that they've a excellent marketplace in Kerala.
While Arun Kumar may make it, several people who find themselves misled fail in their mushroom endeavor, professionals say. "It is best to approach an established knowledge centre to learn mushroom cultivation methods," says Krishnamoorthy.
He provides that even farmers who cultivate mushrooms in a professional setup turn out to be complacent if they harvest 50kg in step with day. "But for a making it a sustainable business model, they have to look for increasing their harvest," he says. He says the best way to start a project is to start farmer manufacturer companies. "Though the investment might be a bit high initially, if a group of farmers start a corporation, institutions such as TNAU are ready to incubate their start-up and also arrange bank loans," he provides.
Today, he runs his own oyster mushroom farm at Athappa Gounden Pudur near the town. He harvests round 80kg a day on the one-acre farm and sells them for round Rs125 in step with kilogram.
Mushrooms have been a favourite in Coimbatore for round 20 years, say cultivators. "Even when mushrooms were unknown in Chennai, Coimbatore people were seeking mushrooms from outlets," says A R Subramanian, who has been cultivating oyster mushrooms within the town for 20 years. Today from bakeries to roadside 'kaalan' shops, mushrooms have virtually turn out to be a staple.
Subramanian, a former marketing professional, said within the early 1990s, he found out there was a requirement for mushrooms. "I found out that it was a 'pull product', something that we don't need to push to outlets," he says. He arrange an oyster mushroom farm in 1993. He says for 20 years he ran his farm on trial. "In 2004, I started a full-fledged mushroom farm in an acre," he says. Today he harvests round 100kg of oyster mushrooms on his farm near Ramachettipalayam near the town. He has 4 cultivation sheds in his farm, each of which can area 1,000 to at least one,500 cultivation baggage.
Today, several people from the town are taking to mushroom cultivation. Mushroom farms within the town cater to hotels, shops, vendors or sellers who retail them.
But the endeavor, which turns out very a promising industry option, can transform a failure if no longer properly applied the usage of clinical and technical strategies, say professionals. Several people who jumped into the industry have deserted it in a couple of months for the lack of awareness, professionals say.
"It is popularly said that mushrooms can be cultivated on terraces and kitchens. But such methods are not viable. Without proper environment, the culture can get contaminated by airborne fungi," says A S Krishnamoorthy, head of the dept of plant pathology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, who also heads the Mushroom Research and Training Centre on the college.
Experts say there are too many people who misinform the ones fascinated about starting mushroom cultivation. When Arun Kumar from Tirupur wanted to arrange a milky mushroom farm, he approached a person who had promoted himself as a professional.
"But I found him to be misleading. I found there were several such people in this field," says Arun Kumar. Today, self-taught in ways, he runs a milky mushroom farm in Tirupur. He has setup the farm in 70 cents in a two-acre land. He says he sells 1kg of mushrooms for round Rs 180 in wholesale. He provides that they've a excellent marketplace in Kerala.
While Arun Kumar may make it, several people who find themselves misled fail in their mushroom endeavor, professionals say. "It is best to approach an established knowledge centre to learn mushroom cultivation methods," says Krishnamoorthy.
He provides that even farmers who cultivate mushrooms in a professional setup turn out to be complacent if they harvest 50kg in step with day. "But for a making it a sustainable business model, they have to look for increasing their harvest," he says. He says the best way to start a project is to start farmer manufacturer companies. "Though the investment might be a bit high initially, if a group of farmers start a corporation, institutions such as TNAU are ready to incubate their start-up and also arrange bank loans," he provides.
Mushrooms Cultivation Can Yield A Fortune If Done Properly
![Mushrooms Cultivation Can Yield A Fortune If Done Properly]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
February 01, 2018
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