Assam’s Tribal Women to Take-up Mushroom Cultivation

By Peter Todd Alex

Guwahati, Feb 9 : Women make a significant contribution in most spheres of life. Even in farming, their contribution is substantial.

In Assam’s Sonapur town tribal women have taken to mushroom cultivation to become self-reliant and improve their lot.

A few months ago, Anjali from Sonapur town in Kamrup district did not have work. Her family faced a financial crisis. Today, she earns enough to meet her needs from mushroom cultivation. Mushroom Development Foundation (MDF), a non-governmental organization helped her recognize the potential of mushroom cultivation and trained her as well.

“I have benefited from this. Earlier, I was sitting idle at home doing nothing. Now at least I am earning something for my family from mushroom cultivation. I have around eight girls with me. The MDF or the Mushroom Development Foundation is training us and providing seeds too,” said Anjali, a mushroom farmer.

There are many such women like Anjali who have taken up mushroom cultivation in Sonapur. MDF carried out an awareness program in over 50 Assam villages that reached to over 1,000 men and women. It also provided mushroom seeds, developed in their laboratory for better yields.

“We sell mushrooms at 60 rupees per Kg to villagers. As the price of the meat and fish is high people here eat mushrooms.

It has proteins and vitamins and those who know this buy mushrooms,” Renu Boro, a farmer.Mushrooms have become an additional source of income for rural women in Assam. They are more than happy to grow mushrooms, which are cultivated on a variety of agricultural wastes, especially rice straw.

The farmers in Assam make good money by selling their produce in domestic market. The prospects for exports of mushroom also look promising.