Sangrur farmer honoured with Progressive Mushroom Grower Award

Sohan Singh (44), a progressive farmer from Rampura Gujran village located on the Haryana border in Sangrur district, has been honoured with the ‘Progressive Mushroom Grower Award’ by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) - Directorate of Mushroom Research, Solan, during the National Mushroom Fair.

Sohan, who started mushroom cultivation in 2018 with just one shed, now operates nearly 15 sheds over 2.5 acres, producing around 1,000qtl annually. “We go to the market daily. Each shed yields about 50qtl, and last year the average rate remained Rs 90 per kg,” he said.

“Mushroom farming demands caretaking and control of fungal threats, but it earns between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 25 lakh annually, which goes beyond the income generated from paddy crop in my total 20-acre land,” he said.

He credited Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, and the Directorate of Mushroom Research, Solan, for technical guidance.