KENDRAPARA: When 28-year-old Swarnalata’s husband Manoj Jena lost his contractual job in a factory in Pune, the family was faced with financial crisis. Survival became an onerous task for the couple which has a five-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.
However, mushroom cultivation came to the rescue of the lady who now earns Rs 5,000 to 8,000 per month. “Earlier, I used to sit idle at home but now I earn enough to support my family”, she said. Around 200 families in Kendrapara district depend on cultivation of ‘Pala Chhatu’, a local mushroom variety and it provides them a decent earning. The Government-run Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM)’s initiative has emerged as a success story in the district.
Amita Rout, a resident of Padani village under Rajnagar block, said mushroom cultivation has been her family’s occupation for the last two years. “In 2016, we attended a week-long mushroom cultivation training session conducted by officials of district horticulture office at Kendrapara. Now, we earn around Rs 7,000 a month by cultivating mushroom”, she said, adding around 30 families depend on it in her village.
Another mushroom cultivator of Padani village, Saraswati Rout, said mushroom is sold for Rs 120-140 per kg. “As the price of meat and fish is high, people prefer consuming mushrooms which are high in protein and vitamins”, she added.
Around 200 women of Padani, Balisahipatana, Champadia, Trilochanpur and other villages eke out a living through mushroom cultivation. Project Manager of OLM, Rajnagar block, Rasmi Ranjan Das said mushroom has found its way to kitchens in the cities as it is healthy and organic.
“We formed Nigamananda Mushroom Producers Group comprising 12 women self-help groups at Balisahipatana village of Rajnagar block in 2016 to help the members cultivate mushroom and it has been a resounding success”, he added. Das said women have become economically and socially empowered after cultivating mushrooms. However, lack of proper marketing has taken a toll on the mushroom cultivators in the district. Niharika Das of Trilochanpur village said a proper marketing mechanism is needed to attract more village women towards mushroom farming.
Assistant horticulturist Binodine Mahalik said the Horticulture department provides financial assistance of Rs 72,000 to each self-help group to build sheds with wooden racks for mushroom cultivation with 50 pc subsidy.