SAMBALPUR: What began as a small venture to grow Oyster mushrooms and mushroom spawn, is today fetching 39-year-old Shanti Prakash Pradhan more than Rs 4,000 per day for six months in a year.
A resident of Bangalipada in Badbazar area of the city, Pradhan is a science graduate but his interest towards horticulture drew him towards mushroom cultivation.
He is growing Oyster mushrooms, known as Dhingri in local parlance, and also cultivates at least six varieties of mushroom spawn.
He started mushroom cultivation in the year 2000 with an initial investment of Rs 300 and within a period of three months, he earned Rs 1,000. In 2001, he invested Rs 3,000 and earned Rs 7,000 and at present, Pradhan earns Rs two lakh from his venture in a period of six months between October and March. He produces 40 kg of Oyster mushroom every day during the peak season and sells them at Rs 100 per kg to local traders. The cropping period for mushrooms is 60 days.
After his graduation, Pradhan underwent training in mushroom cultivation and started growing mushrooms in four decimals of his land that also houses a 450 sq-ft building where spawn production is done.
He procured spawn from Bhubaneswar and Berhampur for mushroom cultivation till he started spawn production on a small scale in 2014. Pradhan started large-scale spawn production from October last year after availing loan of Rs 15 lakh under the National Horticulture Mission that offers 40 per cent subsidy. Spawn production requires boiled wheat, chalk powder, glass bottles, cotton and mother spawn besides certain equipment, he said.
At present, he produces around 300 bottles of Oyster mushroom spawn daily and earns around Rs 20,000 every month.
His target is to increase production to at least 1,000 bottles of paddy straw mushroom spawn variety every day during the ensuing straw mushroom season, he said.
His wife Rina helps him in the venture and they have employed two labourers to look after mushroom cultivation and spawn production. He supplies spawn to mushroom cultivators of Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Sonepur and Boudh districts, besides Chhattisgarh.