Patacharkuchi, Dec 23: In an inspiring success story, a husband-wife duo of Balipara village near Patacharkuchi is prospering through oyster mushroom cultivation and earning handsome profits. It is indeed a good augury for the State.

Dipika Das, a graduate, and her husband Kuldip Medhi started the mushroom farm in their home in 2017 with limited money and infrastructure. However, both of them have now become role models for others in so far as self-employment is concerned. The hard-working couple learnt the technique of mushroom cultivation, and now they have started selling their produce even across an international border. They informed this correspondent that the demand for mushrooms is high in the market due to increasing health consciousness among people. Besides selling mushrooms in the local market, they have now entered the international market by selling their produce in neighbouring Bhutan.

It is pertinent to mention that the couple had undergone a series of short-term training sessions on mushroom cultivation at KVK, Barpeta. Dr. Kuldeep Talukdar, subject matter specialist in plant protection, and Dr. Arup Kumar Deka, chief of KVK, Barpeta, have given the couple technical support from time to time during their entrepreneurial journey. Dipika also underwent a month's training under the Assam Agricultural University. Kuldip also received training on adding value to their produce. Besides caring for the mushrooms, he also works on the marketing of their produce.

The Kalitas produce 15 to 80 kg of mushrooms per day. The mushrooms are sold at the rate of 150 per kg in the wholesale market. As per their estimate, they are earning around Rs 70,000 per month by selling their mushrooms.

They feel that compared to other businesses, it takes less money and infrastructure to start the profitable business of mushroom cultivation. They say that a sufficient quantity of straw is needed for mushroom cultivation, which is first sanitised by using lime and bleaching powder. Then, a cylindrical cocoon is prepared in a damp room, and spawn is planted in the cylinder. Each cylinder blooms four to five times and starts to bloom after 10 days.

They have opened 14 such farms in the adjacent area and are supplying spawn as well as mature oyster mushrooms to the market. They have named their farm 'Doli Oyster Mushroom Farm.' They have also received financial support of Rs 2 lakh from the District Industrial Centre (DIC). They have a room where around 1,500 cylinders are hung from the ceiling to produce oyster mushrooms.

The Kalitas informed that they collect spawn from KVK, Barpeta, as well as from Cooch Behar for special varieties of mushrooms.

By

ANN Service