EVOLUTION AND GROWTH OF MUSHROOM CULTIVATION IN INDIA

A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above the ground on soil or on its food source, mostly in forests. Mushrooms could potentially be very important in future food supplies and in new dimensions of sustainable agriculture and forestry. The most popular mushroom species (oyster, button, milky and paddy straw) are cultivated in upper and hilly regions of the Indian states. With the world's increasing population and its decrease in per capita arable land, along with rapid urbanization and industrialization, climate change, and a demand for quality and functional foods, it will be will necessary to focus on secondary agriculture and novel crops, such as mushrooms. India, primarily being an agrarian economy, is rich in terms of agro wastes that are not properly utilized by the nation's farmers. Keeping this in view, the availability of abundant agro-wastes and varied agro-climatic conditions, mushroom cultivation has a great potential as an economic activity and means of societal development. However, mushroom cultivation is yet to be adopted by mushroom growers on a large scale. The gap in technology knowledge and its adoption needs to be bridged by providing training to farmers regarding various aspects of mushroom cultivation.The objective of this paper is to discuss the process of mushroom cultivation, growth of mushroom industry, the challenges and the policy recommendations. The information used in this paper is based on the existing literature and data available, particularly from the reports available from the government organizations. The methodology used is more a review and synthesis.