Please Advice Me for starting Button Mushroom Farm at Ooty

[puma_san]

I am planning to start mushroom farm at Ooty. I am new to this farming, so please clarify my doubts.

1. What are the risk factors involved in this farm?
2. What is the present Market demand for this mushroom?
3. Total Cost required to produce 1kg mushroom (Including Spawn,Compost,Labour,etc.,)?
4. Can it be cultivated round the year or seasonal one in Ooty climate?
5. I heard that Button mushroom farming is most complicated process, Is it true?
6. Presently the whole sale price of 1kg mushroom in Ooty is Rs.130. May this price varies frequently?
7. Area required for the farm for 100kg Mushroom/day.
8. Investment required for starting the farm to produce 100kg Mushroom/day?
9. Is there any Government Subsidy in Tamilnadu for starting Mushroom farm?

Please give your valuable suggestions for my questions. Depending upon your suggestions, I will decide to start the farm.

[kirti s]

hello sir
Button Mushroom (Agaricus spp.) is the most popular mushroom variety grown and consumed the world over. In India, its production earlier was limited to the winter season, but with technology development, these are produced almost throughout the year in small, medium and large farms, adopting different levels of technology.

The price of fresh mushrooms during May-June in different markets viz. Chandigarh, Delhi and Mumbai varies between Rs.50 and Rs.100 /kg.
Any mushroom unit located in and around the main markets should be able to make sufficient profit as they can save on transportation of produce.

White button mushroom requires 20-280 C for vegetative growth (spawn run) and 12-180 C for reproductive growth. Besides that it requires relative humidity of 80-90% and enough ventilation during cropping.

Seasonally, it is grown during the winter months in the north-west plains of India and for 8-10 months in a year on the hills.
However, with the advent of modern cultivation technology it is now possible to cultivate this mushroom anywhere in India.

Ooty 1 and Ooty (BM) 2 (released in 2002) are the two strains of button mushrooms released for commercial cultivation by the scientists of Horticulture Research Station of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Vijayanagaram, Ooty.

The crop is suspect to several diseases like Dry Bubble (brown spot), Wet Bubble (White Mould), Cobweb, Green Mould, False truffle (Truffle disease), Olive green mould, Brown plaster mould and Bacterial blotch.

You can avail trainings at the krishi vigyan kendras and also agriculture departments.

[jenie]

Good information. Thank you Kirti.