Mushroom cultivation in India is an untapped market with significant potential for growth and profitability. India has all the favorable conditions for the growth of mushrooms, with country’s moderate temperatures, combined with high humidity and varying altitudes, create ideal environments for mushroom cultivation across different regions. Mushroom cultivation could become the next big sensation in India, providing households with a sustainable income source and improving living standards through its low investment, quick growth cycle, and growing demand.
Low Investment, High Returns
- Cost per Bag: The production cost per bag is approximately ₹130, yielding 2 kg of mushrooms. At an average selling price of ₹150/kg, farmers earn ₹85/kg in profit.
- Expected Income: Profit margins can range from ₹50,000 to ₹1,00,000 annually for 1,000 bags. On larger scales (100–500 sq ft), annual profits can reach ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
- ROI: Well-managed farms can yield a return on investment (ROI) of 50% to 100% or more depending on the scale and efficiency.
Examples of Success
- Manish Yadav (Delhi): Earns ₹5 lakh monthly from a 1,470 sq ft unit using cold chambers for year-round Muhroom production with an Annual Profit of ₹34 lakh.
- Mehrotra Brothers (Uttar Pradesh): Produced 190 metric tons in their first year and earned a net profit of ₹76 lakh after costs.
How to cultivate mushroom at home?
- Selecting a good location : Mushroom farming does not need much space. You can install a unit in a 20ft x 20ft space and produce about 50 kg every week. It is a small business that can make returns in a few weeks. When your business expands, you can lease a small building. Mushroom cultivation project report will assist in organizing space and material requirements.
- Spawn collection : You will need to buy mushroom spawn, or eggs, at your local market. You can also produce your own spawn using a sterile culture. This will cost less in the long term.
- Raw material requirements : Disposable plastic bags or bucket with holes cut around the edge provide the necessary space for the mushroom to grow. The substrate, wood chips or straw, will need to be bought
- Mushroom culture process : Mushrooms can be cultivated indoors and outdoors
Mushroom Culture
Mushrooms can be cultivated indoors and outdoors.
1. Indoor cultivation – Indoor cultivation involves planning, technical know-how, and money. The growth medium is put in a sterilizer, either a large drum, to destroy germs or mold. Let the substrate take 20 hours to sterilize. The hot substrate then needs to be cooled down to room temperature (around 95 degrees Celsius), which may take a few days. A blower blows air through the flow hood’s HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. It can sanitize the air in the bags of all contaminants. Please turn on the flow hood and have it remain on for around 30 minutes.
Scoops of mushroom mycelium need to be added to the sterile substrate bags. The mycelium will then begin consuming.
A grit layer is placed on the clean substrate. To speed up mycelium colonization, mix that grain in with the substrate. These bags will be ready to grow mushrooms in approximately two weeks.
The inoculated bags will need to be moved to an incubation room. You will need to maintain the temperature of this room between 21 and 22 degrees Celsius. That is the temperature at which the mycelium can travel through the substrate and begin to digest it.
It will take around two weeks when the bags will start whitening due to the colonization of the mycelium. Then the loads are to be shifted from the inoculation room to the fruiting chamber. This room will have the following four things:
- A temperature which will lie in a particular range.
- The humidity is very high.
- Lights with a specific wavelength.
- Carbon dioxide levels are low
A tiny hole has to be drilled in the face of every bag. This opens up the mycelium and substrate to air and moisture. The mushroom will begin to grow. In a week’s time, every one of these will yield a beautiful bouquet of fresh mushrooms!
2. Log Culture – Log culture is a protracted and labor-intensive way to cultivate mushrooms outdoors. To start with, you will need to search for logs and spawns from a forestry business. Inoculate the logs with mushroom spores and sawdust mixture at the beginning of growing season. The records will produce mushrooms in temperate weather, where cold rain will be followed by sunshine. The mushroom will ripen within the next two months and end up on store shelves and dinner plates.
ALSO READ : Why Become a Landlord in India?
