TNAU offers course on mushroom cultivation - Mushroom Cultivation training in Tamilnadu

With farmers increasingly growing mushrooms in the state, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is offering daylong and five-day classes at its premises here. These courses too have seen a surge in popularity due to the increasing awareness among the public about the benefits of mushroom, say experts.


The daylong training, which covers the basic aspects of growing and harvesting mushroom, happens at TNAU on the fifth of every month or if it is a holiday, on the subsequent working day. The five-day training happens once in two months depending on the availability of trainees. "It is adjusted according to the requests from entrepreneurs," said G Chandresekar, professor and head, plant pathology, TNAU.

As many as 80-100 trainees take part in each daylong course; 320 such courses have been held and 20,000 persons have undergone training at TNAU. Apart from trainees from Tamil Nadu, people from Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh take part in the course. In recent days, the training courses have seen an increase in popularity with as many 150 persons undergoing training. Certificates are given to each participant at the end of the course.

The five-day course trains the participant in all aspects of mushroom growing and harvesting. With a combination of theory and practical classes, hands-on training is also provided. Typical problems faced by farmers and solutions to such issues are also offered during the five-day course. As many as 3,000 farmers have undergone this course.

Among this, two farmers have won the government of India's award for best mushroom producers. They were chosen on the basis of outstanding contribution to the field apart from the quality and quantity of their produce. The award was given to the farmers by the Solan-based Mushroom Research Institute.