Have you ever thought about starting mushroom farming business in India? Well, in 2024, that’s a great idea! India has long been a major player in the mushroom farming business, and with the growth of the middle class, the demand for mushrooms is only going to increase.
If you’re curious about how to start your own mushroom farming business, you’re in the right spot. This guide is here to help you understand everything you need to know. We’ll talk about the basics of growing mushrooms, what’s popular in the market, and the rules you need to follow. So, let’s get started on your journey to create a successful mushroom farm business in India!
Mushroom growing business at home, Mushroom farming business needs no excess land, it can be grown anyplace. Like farming corn or other different vegetables, you need to provide huge land. Yet for mushrooms, you just need to use the extra unused space in your home.
There are various varieties of mushrooms available in the market. Varieties like Oyster and Shiitake are Gourmet mushrooms and are highly priced mushrooms. They will help you to earn more money as they are highly priced and easy to grow. These mushrooms grow fast, you just needed to provide them in the perfect condition. Oysters take up to 3-4 weeks to grow.
Keeping to the side the highly-priced mushroom you can also grow mushrooms that are regular and are in high demand. Button mushrooms are mostly used largely.
These mushrooms are valued and eaten over the world. Below we will mention the steps involved in starting a Mushroom growing business at home and How to start mushroom business in India.
Steps for Mushroom Farming Business
There are some steps involved in the mushroom farming business. We will help you with the following steps easily and elaborate on every detail involved in the Mushroom growing business at home and Mushroom Farming business.
Step 1: Decide The Variety
There are different varieties of mushrooms. Deciding what type of mushrooms you want to cultivate is an important first step in mushroom farming. Different varieties have specific growing requirements and characteristics. Here are some popular varieties to consider:
- White Button Mushroom: Commonly found in grocery stores, these mushrooms have a mild flavor and are one of the easiest to grow.
- Oyster Mushroom (Dhingri): Available in various colors, oyster mushrooms have a delicate flavor and a distinct shape. They are relatively easy to cultivate.
- Crimini Mushroom: Similar to white button mushrooms but with a more robust flavor. They are a brown variation of the same species.
- Portobello Mushroom: Mature cremini mushrooms that have a larger size and a more meaty texture. They are often used as a meat substitute in recipes.
- Shiitake Mushroom: Known for their rich, smoky flavor, shiitake mushrooms are popular in Asian cuisine. They require different growing conditions compared to Agaricus species.
- Maitake Mushroom: Also known as hen-of-the-woods, maitake mushrooms have a strong flavor and are often used in medicinal and culinary applications.
- Enoki Mushroom: These mushrooms have long, thin stems and small caps, with a mild flavor. They are often used in salads and Asian dishes.
- Lion’s Mane Mushroom: Recognized for its unique appearance, resembling a lion’s mane, this mushroom has a mild, seafood-like flavor. It is also believed to have potential health benefits.
- Morel Mushroom: Highly sought after for their distinctive appearance and rich, nutty flavor. Morels are often found in the wild but can be cultivated.
- Reishi Mushroom: Known for its medicinal properties, reishi mushrooms have a bitter taste. They are commonly used in teas, tinctures, and supplements.
Among which oyster mushroom {Dhingri} is the most expensive. Again, button mushrooms are cheap and eaten everywhere. This business will start showing results in a few weeks. It is better to do that type of farming which is consumed by people on a large scale. You can grow oyster mushrooms for some added benefits.
Step 2: Get Ready With Your Spawn and Substrate
The spawn is something, which is considered to be the seed of the mushroom farming business processes. You can purchase the spawn from the right market or you can produce your spawn at home using sterile culture. If you are thinking of producing your spawn it will be less expensive and helpful in the long run. It will be costlier than ready-made spawn.
Once you are done with the spawn, let’s focus on the substrate. It is something where your Mushroom growing business at home. Certain people use straw to grow mushrooms and some use wood chips. The most used substrate is straw which can be chopped into little pieces.
Step 3: How To Prepare The Substrate
Bring some straw from the nearby market. Now, chop the straw into little pieces. Take these straws and wet them. Once you wet the, heat it in boiling water for thirty minutes. Now, remove the straw and drain it. Spread it on a huge surface to cool it down.
Step 4: Prepare The Plastic Bags
Put the straws inside the plastic bag and sprinkle the spawn in it. Fill the bags and tie them. Now, make few holes in the bag for passing air and creating favorable conditions for developing the mushroom.
Step 5: Incubation Period
You should keep the temperature at 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Now start putting the plastic bags onto the shelves. Do not allow natural light to enter the room. Cover each crack or window and utilize a red “darkroom” light whatever you wish to visit your farm. You will see small mushroom pinheads popping out from the air holes in the plastic bag, you are prepared to move on to the next step.
Step 6: Fruiting
A high temperature will be necessary for fruiting, 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit should be the best temperature. The room should be highly humid. Your room will need at least 12 hours of regular light. But for incubation, you should know that no natural light can pass into your room. Now after taking all these measures, move your bags to some cool room like the cellar. After keeping it in a cool place for a day draw out the bags to the fruiting room and cut open the plastic bags. This will help the Mushroom growing business at home.
Step 7: Harvesting
Ensure that the mushroom caps do not uncurl completely. Before it uncurls, bend the mushroom from the stem and that’s it, you have gathered your first mushroom. Now, your mushrooms are ready to be sold them.
How To Market Your Newly Cultivated Mushroom?
Marketing the harvested product is the main important task. Most importantly, go and talk to the mushroom sellers in your local market and sell them. You can also directly talk to restaurants and supermarkets. Supply the freshly cultivated mushroom for utilization. You can also contact online sellers, You can sell your harvested mushroom and start your online sales.
What Can You Do To Start A Wholesale Mushroom Plantation?
You want at least a 500 sq ft area to produce like 700-800 kg mushrooms. This will help you to earn a big profit. This will help you to try your hands on the mushroom export business.
What Should Be The Favourable Temperature For Growing Oyster Mushroom?
Depending on the variety of mushrooms you need to cultivate, set the room temperature. Basically for cultivating Oyster Mushroom, you want to set the temperature to 15 to 16 degrees Celcius with 80% to 90% moistness.
List of Equipment Needed For Mushroom Cultivation
- Hand Chopper
- Drums for boiling straw
- Coconut rope, jute rope, plastic ropes
- Bags
- Sprayer
Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
1. Is mushroom growing business profitable?
These days, mushroom farming is the most productive and profitable business in India. It is getting famous gradually in India because, in a short time, it converts farmers’ hard work into profit. Farmers use the mushroom farming process in India as an alternate source of money.
2. How much can I earn from mushroom farming?
If you start growing it in a 100 square feet area then you can earn a profit of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh each year. The global mushroom market was valued at 12.74 million tons (MT) in 2018 and is projected to arrive at 20.84 million tons (MT) by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.41% in the estimated period.
3. Is mushroom farming easy?
The mushroom farming business can be very profitable in a few weeks or less. In addition, starting your own business growing oyster mushrooms for profit is genuinely easy. Cereal Straw Fresh golden yellow paddy straw is free from molds and appropriately stored in a dry place not exposed to rain. You’ll require a spawn to start the culture.
4. What are the disadvantages of mushrooms?
Mushrooms are known to make the immune system of humans strong. While for certain people, the mushrooms also result in skin rashes and skin irritations. Some additionally experience nose bleeding, dry nose, dry throat, and other problems when they are taken in excess amounts.
5. How many days does mushrooms take to grow?
When an initial quadruples in size, the structure is a pin. Pins continue to extend and grow larger through the button stage, and at last, a button enlarges to a mushroom. Harvestable mushrooms seem 18 to 21 days after packaging.
6. What is the fastest-growing mushroom?
The quickest-growing mushrooms are oyster mushrooms. What is this? Substrate bags will become completely colonized by mycelium in just 10-14 days. Oyster mushrooms will be ready to harvest 7 days after fruiting.
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Conclusion:
You can start your Mushroom Farming Business plan following these simple steps. This is a simple farming process that everyone can settle on. It needs very little or no investments, but you will need a huge space for farming.
If you are choosing the export business you need to set up a farm. You can start this business with little information about harvesting. You will find youtube instructions as well.
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