VIJAYAWADA: Krishna district administration is planning to impart training in mushroom cultivation to unemployed youth so that they can generate income. At present, mushroom cultivation in the district is quite good, with many people earning huge returns.
As part of the entrepreneurial programme, the administration is trying to rope in experts trained by the horticulture department earlier, to impart training to the youth.
District Horticulture Officer K Jyoti said, “Earlier, we had trained people in mushroom cultivation. Anyone can easily learn it and with the minimum investment, they can earn lucrative returns. We would support those who approach us for cultivating mushrooms.”
“One batch of mushroom seeds can be harvested three times after breaking the stems. We grow them on hay or newspapers or kitchen waste. Also, it is quite easy on one’s pockets. At first, we started mushroom cultivation to earn some money. But later on, with increasing demand, we have increased cultivating the crop two or three times’, and so did our returns,” N Lalitha Kumari, a cultivator, said.
The nutritious content in mushrooms is drawing the health fanatics’ attention and increasing the demand for supply. While a farmer earns Rs 8 to Rs 10 per kg by selling potatoes, the mushroom cultivators earn between `80 and 100 `100 per kg from selling mushrooms.
“This difference in prices can change the lives of the farmers. I decided to make cultivating mushrooms a household project,” said another cultivator.