Mushroom farming profitable: Experts

Solan, June 29

The two-day annual group meeting of the All-India coordinated research project on mushrooms concluded at the Directorate of Mushroom Research here today. Scientists and experts from 32 centres from across the country participated.

Chief guest Dr T Janakiram, ADG (horticulture science), ICAR, New Delhi, applauded the remarkable contributions of Dr VP Sharma, Director, and his team in the field of mushroom research.

Special invitees — Dr Manjit Singh, Dr TN Lakhanpal, Dr CL Jandaik, Dr RP Singh and Dr NS Attri deliberated on the need to disseminate information about various varieties and technologies developed by the institute. The delegates also emphasised the importance of mushroom farming in modern agricultural practices to address the nutritional challenges of the country. Dr Janakiram stressed upon the need for quality spawn production and domestication of new edible mushrooms to enrich the diversity of edible mushrooms, while VP Sharma, Director, ICAR-DMR, presented a roadmap for future research needed to strengthen mushroom science in India.

Two new technical bulletins on “Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation” and “Status Report on Mushroom Products” were released on the occasion.

A brainstorming session on “Global versus Indian Scenario of Mushroom Production: Future Challenges” was also organised by the Mushroom Society of India, Solan.

The officials also highlighted the progress made in mushroom production. — TNS