For many, it is a hobby. Some others do it to pass their time. But Vatsala Kumari P.P., in Adimali, Idukki district, took to mushroom cultivation to fight off the anguish of bereavement. The outcome, however, has been the same: they have been pleasantly surprised to discover that cultivating mushrooms is a delightful experience, something close to the soil they love, and richly rewarding.
Despite holding out much promise, organised mushroom cultivation is confined to just about 100 enterprises in the State, says A.V. Mathew, a scientist at the Kerala University's Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kumarakom.
This, notwithstanding accounts of people crowding training sessions on mushroom cultivation. A senior official of the Department of Agriculture said that a recent training programme in Mulanthuruthy, near here, was so crowded that a few of those who turned up were sent back for lack of space. The Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council's monthly training programmes, open to 30 to 35 trainees a session, are filled to capacity.
Vatsala Kumari says she took up mushroom cultivation to overcome the grief of her son's death at the age of 17. “After the tragedy, my friends told me to get engaged in some activity,” she said as she recalled how she accidentally came across an advertisement on training in mushroom cultivation in Kottayam.
Since then, she has stuck to the task like a professional, finding joy in the sweet fragrance of sprouting mushroom. She says she earns about Rs. 500 a day on an average through the year, selling about three to four kgs of oyster mushrooms a day.
Thankachan T.J. started mushroom cultivation, about five years ago in Eramalloor, to overcome the feeling of being cut off from his neighbours in a large plot of land. The pastime turned into a more earnest activity with the taste of home-grown vegetables and mushrooms, he said.
Huge demand
He has now a 2,000-bed facility. His wife Shaiji is a great help in looking after what has blossomed into a family business, which now sells mushroom at Rs. 200 a kg on a regular basis. “We have been overwhelmed by the demand for mushrooms in the market,” says Mr. Thankachan.
Magi Tomy in Kakkanad and M.B. Sadasivan in Piravom are examples of people who use their spare time to cultivate mushrooms. Ms. Tomy said she trains people on mushroom cultivation at her home on Sundays. Mr. Sadasivan says that mushrooms fetch Rs. 200 a kg and there is great demand for the vegetable.
These are examples that can be emulated across the State, which depends on neighbouring States for nearly 75 per cent of its vegetable requirements. Dr. Mathew estimates that mushroom production does not exceed 50,000 to 75,000 kg a year in Kerala, more than a hint that Kerala holds out great potential for those with the will and perseverance for the pursuit.
He lists out factors that have gone against the spread of mushroom cultivation. One is that there is a lot of unscientific training programmes in different parts of the State, which give the trainees the wrong ideas or information. And, failed ventures do not exactly act as poster boys for mushroom cultivation. Dr. Mathew can be contacted on Tel: 0481-2524421.
