Odapada: A team of mushroom farmers from Himachal Pradesh visited Indipur village here in Dhenkanal district and imparted tips to local farmers on reducing production costs in cultivation.
The team comprising 25 farmers trained local farmers on ways to boost cultivation with minimum expenses.
The team was led by Ratan Thakur, chairman, Gyan Kashyap, vice-chairman and treasurer Lakshmi Thakur of National Research Centre for Mushroom. Thakur said the state government should take steps in providing power to mushroom farmers at concessional rates.
The team members were accompanied by agriculturist Niranjan Chinara of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar and mushroom farmer Sanjit Mohanty of Pipli in Puri district.
The visiting farmers said mushroom which has a high market value as an edible food product can be profitable if production costs are brought down by adopting unique cultivation methods.
The visiting farmers said adopting modern farming techniques can help in reducing production costs and will bring in more profits.
Notably, Indipur village under Odapada block in Dhenkanal district has earned a name for itself in the state for mushroom cultivation.
The mushroom cultivation adopted by villagers has provided livelihood to hundreds and has made them self-sufficient. The villagers not only cultivate mushroom but also its seeds which are sold to cultivators in other parts of the state.
Various types of mushrooms including ‘Pala and Dhingri’ varieties are produced by the farmers all through the year. Joining the programme, the villagers admitted that the training will be of great help to them in raising cultivation.
The team after their arrival in the state January 22 visited the mushroom farmers in Pipli January 26 and later visited the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology before returning to Himachal Pradesh Saturday. Leading mushroom farmer Ajay Prusty coordinated the programme during the visit of the Himachal farmers. PNN
