Director Agriculture Jammu, Hari Krishan Razdan, inspected the mushroom section at Agriculture Complex Talab Tillo, Jammu today and took stock of various farmers welfare-oriented activities being undertaken by the MDTC Centre. He was accompanied by Joint Director Agriculture (Extension) R. L. Bhagat and Joint Director Agriculture (Input) K. S. Sambyal.Interacting with the mushroom growers at Mushroom Demonstration and Training Centre, Jammu, Director Agriculture said that the cultivation of Milky Mushroom has been introduced to fill the gap between the Button and Dhingri Mushroom crops and to achieve round the year production of mushrooms.He asked mushroom growers to follow the concept of co-operative farming and organize themselves into Mushroom Growers Associations, Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for getting maximum profit through value addition by setting up their own production, canning or pasteurized compost unit.
He also advised them to diversify their farming through apiculture, mushroom, seed production, vegetable cultivation and adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) to achieve the goal of doubling the farmer’s income by 2022.It was apprised that cost of cultivation of Milky Mushroom is much less (about Rs 65/bag) whereas returns are as high as Rs 200 per bag, so there is great potential for Milky Mushroom as well as Dhingri and Button Mushroom Cultivation. On the occasion, Mushroom Growers demanded for the exposure visit outside the State particularly on mushroom cultivation which was accepted by Director.Sunil Koul, Deputy Director of Agriculture (Trainings), Jammu, SarmeshGhasi, Training Officer, Vijay Kumar Koushal, Span Development Officer, Vijay Kumar Bhagat, Mushroom Development Officer, Aman Jyoti, Subject Matter Specialist, Vikas Sharma, AEO Information, Sham Khajuria, SDA Jammu and other officers of the department were present.