The cultivation of mushrooms would help the economic situation of farmers in Arunachal Pradesh, according to Zoro Phil, a young orphan boy of around 13 years, a school dropout from Yachuli in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Subansiri District, who started mushroom cultivation.
"I am primarily interested in mushroom farming because it involves very little effort & investment." Furthermore, there are many unused straws in our white rice production sites. YouTube has taught me a lot of things. During the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown phases, I discovered how to accelerate mushroom growth and cultivation via YouTube," Zoro said.
Zoro worked tirelessly to build a modest mushroom house at District Institute Education Training [DIET] Yachuli. "I built almirah-style racks with bamboo roofs that I found locally in the village. Iam trying the first attempt to cultivate mushroom. I've learnt a lot of new mushroom gardening techniques from social media for this purpose." he added.
Despite agriculture and horticulture being the backbone of the majority of the population, farmers in Arunachal Pradesh continue to be the most exploited in terms of modern farming technology.
Due to a lack of influx into organized markets and the state's highest percentage of unemployment, economic hardship persists.
The concerned department should encourage more small-scale agriculture-based farmers to undertake mushroom cultivation in order to support themselves and raise awareness.
Is Mushroom Farming Profitable in India?
Mushroom farming is becoming India's most productive and profitable business. It is increasingly gaining popularity in India since it translates farmers' hard labour into profit in a short period of time. Farmers in India employ mushroom growing as a secondary source of income.
In India, the majority of mushrooms are grown in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Tripura.
Mushrooms are not only tasty, but they also include proteins, fibres, potassium, copper, zinc, selenium, magnesium, and cancer-fighting nutrients.
The mushroom cultivation method is the simplest. You may make more money with less investment in the mushroom farming business.