Mandya's mushroom man on a mission to promote its nutritional values

In spite of its high nutritional values, mushroom cultivation and its utilisation is yet to catch up among farmers.

In an effort to create awareness on its intrinsic values, Ramakrishna, from Mandya, has conducted experiments and has successfully produced at least 18 byproducts of mushrooms.

Ramakrishna, who has established the "Mushroom Science Centre" in Mandya, has been successful in bringing together the mushroom growers of Mandya, Mysuru and Tumakuru districts.

Ramakrishna was affected by polio when he was two years old. However, his disability has not deterred him from pursuing his goal. Initially, he was serving the Education department as a computer operator. He tendered his resignation three years ago and is now successfully into mushroom cultivation.

He has experimented using mushrooms in the preparation of biscuits, rasam powder, malt, papads, pickles, tea and others.

He has also been preparing medicine using dried and powdered mushrooms, along with brahmi, drumstick and other ingredients under the guidance of the Central Food Technological Research Institute and also the Horticultural Institute of Technology. He has set up a small unit at his house in V V Nagar and has been cultivating mushrooms. He has also got recognition from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Labour Welfare department.

Speaking with DH, Ramakrishna said, "Though people are aware of the nutritional content in the mushrooms they are hesitant to consume it. Hence, I took up research in the preparation of byproducts using mushrooms. More than 300 people from Mandya, Mysuru and Tumakuru districts, under the guidance of our organisation, are growing mushrooms successfully. The mushrooms are supplied directly to hotels and shops. There are also customer groups, who purchase it directly from my house," he said.

Monthly income scheme

Ramakrishna has also proposed a 'monthly income scheme' for the farmers, which has been approved by the State Rural Livelihood Mission (Sanjeevani). There is a target to extend mushroom cultivation to around 5,000 farmers and will be implemented in the five gram panchayats of HD Kote in Mysuru district, he said.

Farmers may take up mushroom cultivation along with agricultural activities. They can directly market them and the surplus can be returned to us, which will be dried and used for byproducts, Ramakrishna said. He can be contacted on 94823 93140.