Sanjib Talukdar at his mushroom farm at Pathsala in Barpeta district. Telegraph picture

Guwahati, Oct. 12: Manoj Das can now claim to be self-reliant. The mushroom farmer did not have a stable income for years till he met members of Eco Concept, a Guwahati-based NGO.

“Apart from basic training on organic mushroom production, the NGO supplies raw material (spawns), provides guidance on the use of locally-available material to set up farms besides production and marketing. Last season, (October to February) I sold mushrooms worth Rs 3lakh,” the farmer from Hajo, near here, told this correspondent today.

Back in the late nineties when he first took up mushroom farming, the scene was different. “There was a time when I was buried in debt. I had to look for other sources of income to repay loans apart from supporting my family,” he said.

Das is not the only beneficiary of Eco Concept’s pilot project to promote alternative livelihoods and provide food security to farmers, particularly women. The NGO has since its inception in 2011 groomed over 500 mushroom farmers and 30 self-help groups of Kamrup and Barpeta districts.

“The project was taken up in 2012 with the idea of supporting mushroom farmers with training, helping them get good returns without having to invest much and providing post-harvest assistance. We have asked them to use locally-available resources, mostly agricultural waste, on their farms,” Nilutpal Das, president of the NGO, said.

The farms are designed according to the space available around one’s home so that the surroundings could be used to grow vegetables and fruits.

“The project aims to empower women with financial security. So far, we have trained 100 women under various self-help groups in association with Krishi Vigyan Kendra. The plan is to reach out to a thousand more and also set up local co-operatives for selling mushrooms,” Das said.

The NGO has educated farmers on the nutritional value of mushrooms produced without the use of chemicals.

Pathsala-based entrepreneur Sanjib Talukdar, unlike many others under the project, took up mushroom farming to set up his own enterprise — Bajali Mushroom Farms.

“I was into film editing, but thanks to Eco Concept, I have a farm and a brand that has acquired loyalty in the urban areas. Last season, I sold 1,000kg and plan to scale it up to 3,000kg this season,” Talukdar said.

The retail price for dry mushrooms is about Rs 900 per kg and that of fresh mushrooms is Rs 200 a kg.

“I used bamboo and hay to build the farm. The cost of production will only come down in the seasons to come which means higher returns,” Talukdar said. Jorhat-based CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology had in 2012 allotted a spawn production laboratory to the NGO. “We intend to take the project forward through research and awareness generation,” Das said.