Rs 1 lakh a kg: Cordyceps cynosure of all eyes at Solan mushroom fair

Priced at Rs 1 lakh per kg, cordyceps mushroom was the cynosure of all eyes at the 28th Annual Mushroom Fair organised at the Indian Council of Agriculture Research’s Directorate of Mushroom Research (DMR) here today.

The highly priced mushroom has anti-aging and anti-tumour properties and is also known for its medicinal properties.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, who was the chief guest on the occasion, called for more research on increasing the shelf life of mushrooms.

Congratulating the Directorate for organising the fair continuously since 1998, he said on this day in 1997, Solan was named as ‘Mushroom City’ of India. In the last 27 years, many producers have been associated with mushroom production.

“Mushroom cultivation in India started in late 70s. Today, mushrooms are being produced in more than 100 countries. The production, which stood around 1 lakh tonne 10 years ago, has reached 3.5 lakh tonne today. India stands at the fourth position in mushroom production,” he added.

The Governor said mushroom farmers can earn by undertaking production within two-three months in a small room.

Shukla said the Directorate of Mushroom Research was the only institute in the country working on the research of mushrooms and has 32 All India Coordinated Mushroom Project Centres under it. The Governor said apart from commercial production, there was a need to work on mushrooms, which grew in forests.

He said ‘gucchi’ and cordycep are some of the varieties, which needed more attention. He also emphasised on organising fairs, seminars, training and exhibitions from time to time to make farmers aware of various practices associated with mushroom cultivation.

The Governor awarded five mushroom producers, including Anuj Kumar from Assam, Ganesh from Maharashtra, Prakash Chand from Odisha, Rekha Kumari from Bihar and Shije from Kerala, by presenting Progressive Mushroom Grower Award on the occasion.

Earlier, VP Sharma, Director, DMR, spoke in detail on the status of mushroom production in India and the world, besides the achievements of the institute.

Sanjay Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General, Horticulture, ICMR, said the directorate had developed new varieties of mushroom and many rare varieties were in high demand outside the country.

He also inaugurated an exhibition based on mushroom production put up by various entrepreneurs on the occasion.