Friday 18 May 2012

Women take to mushroom farming in big way in Bihar village

Nalanda, Feb 8 (PTI) Scores of women Anantpur village inBihar''s Nalanda district, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar''s homedistrict, have taken to mushroom farming in a big way as ameans for their socio-economic emancipation and districtauthorities were working overtime to provide market linkages.

As many as 700 women in groups of 50 each are involved ingrowing mushrooms and are taking other women under theirwings.

"We are set to revolutionize mushroom farming at Anantpurand spread it to the entire district as a means to oursocio-economic empowerment," Rita Devi, who was trained inmushroom farming at G B Pant Agriculture University inUttarakhand, said.

A number of self help groups and farmers help groups havealso come forward with various incentives to enable villagewomen to take up mushroom farming as livelihood, she said.

The enthusiasm among the women has led them to even pena folk song outlining economic value of the vegetable produce,its natural ingredients and various delicacies made from it,she said.

Mushroom farming has great potential across the statedue to congenial weather condition and the women farmers needgovernment help to market the vegetable, she added.

The state government in its turn is considering to set upa mushroom seed production unit in the district and findingsuitable markets for the produce, agriculture productioncommissioner A.K. Sinha said.

Nalanda district magistrate Sanjay Agrawal said thedistrict administration will help women farmers in cultivatingmushroom for commercial use and make arrangements formarketing it in the markets in Patna to ensure that thegrowers earned a decent profit.

Bulk supply of mushrooms in boarding schools andcolleges as well as through the outlets of dairies could beworked out, he added.

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