Oyster Mushroom Production in Meghalaya: A Potential Venture

"Oyster mushroom production, which is profitable agri-business enterprise for enhancing farm income, generating additional employment and subsistence to nutritional security. Considering the growing demand and importance of oyster mushroom production for promising enterprise, an attempt has been made to estimate the cost and returns of growing oyster mushroom, to identify various determinants affecting its value of mushroom productivity. The study was carried out in Rongram block, West Garo Hills of Meghalaya using 60 oyster mushroom growers. Findings revealed that the total cost depicted a decreasing trend with increase in the size of beds spawned due to economies of scale. On overall basis, the total cost estimated to be ` 467 per 5 units of polybag beds spawned. The returns from mushroom cultivation depicted a positive association with farm size; these are ` 58/kg, ` 76/kg and ` 120/kg for small, medium and large mushroom farms respectively. It was worked out in the overall farm size that one rupee invested in mushroom growing, yields about ` 1.55. The input-output ratio was highest on large mushroom farms (1.82), followed by medium (1.48) and small (1.35) farms. The single window input delivery system should be encouraged in the study area. There was a felt need for a linkage and full co-operation between the state government, financial institutions, researchers, scientists, extension workers and mushroom growers on different advanced technological aspects of better production oyster mushroom, which would help the farmers’ to get remunerative prices for their products."