Challenges of Mushroom Production in Assam

Abstract

Mushroom has various advantages including high nutritional and functional value, therapeutic properties, nutraceutical value along with organoleptic worth besides its economic importance. Mushroom production is remunerative, fetch quick return and needs less investment and less infrastructure. Despite all these merits of Mushroom production the mushroom farmers many a times discontinue the venture or do not expand the enterprise. Studying the problems to understand the factors responsible for discontinuation of the venture and what deters to expand the venture would contribute in improving in entire ecosystem of production. Considering this, the present study on ‘Challenges of Mushroom production in Assam’ was conducted in Jorhat district using snow ball sampling method. Sample size for the study was 60. Problems in Mushroom production was studied in terms of the hindrance in mushroom production faced by the mushroom farmers. Altogether nineteen problem statements were prepared to explore the problems faced by the respondents in mushroom production. Based on the mean scores obtained by the respondents and standard deviation, respondents were categorized as low, medium and high level of problem. Ranking of the problem was done based on the mean score of the statements. The results reveal that around 60.00 per cent respondents faced medium level of problem.  ‘Unavailability of quality spawn in mushroom Production’, ‘Lack of input’, ‘Lack of government scheme’, ‘Lack of assured market’, ‘Price fluctuation of the mushroom’ were some of the highly ranked problems reported by the respondents. The study concludes that there is an urgent need to remove the hindrances for accelerated adoption of mushroom enterprise for income generation in Assam.