Jithu Thomas first began rising mushrooms as a interest. At present, it has led him to begin a mushroom farm together with his mom Leena that’s reaping enormous earnings.
With a deliciously meaty texture and flexibility in cooking, mushrooms have turn into a favorite ingredient for a lot of within the Indian culinary scene over the previous decade. Not solely are these fungi a delight to savour, however in addition they maintain the potential to counterpoint you financially in the event you can grasp the artwork of farming them.
On the younger age of 19, Jithu Thomas from Kerala developed a eager curiosity in mushroom farming. He sowed his mushroom seeds in a packet and has by no means appeared again!
With the assistance of his mom Leena Thomas, he determined to begin rising mushrooms.
“Mushrooms want a managed local weather to develop the place the temperature shouldn’t fall underneath 30 levels Celsius. Set up of a correct cooling system is due to this fact vital. We’ve got designed the room and its settings in such a approach that round 20,000 beds might be positioned in an area the place normally solely 5,000 beds are positioned,” explains Jithu.
“There are a lot of benefits to mushroom farming together with its much less rising interval. However that doesn’t imply it’s a simple job. The crop is fragile and very delicate. A minute change in temperature or the arrival of pests can break the crop utterly,” warns the younger farmer.
At present, the duo are incomes Rs 40,000 per day by promoting mushrooms!
Unfold over 5,000 sq ft of land, the farm makes use of easy science to maintain temperature and humidity at optimum ranges. This helps the duo produce over 100 kg of mushrooms every single day!
These mushrooms are then bought to retailers with no middlemen serving to them to maintain prices low and make higher earnings. Jithu additionally has expanded the enterprise by coaching folks in mushroom farming. “No less than 1,000 folks have attended my courses to this point however I’m not certain what number of took up farming later,” he shares.
(Edited by Padmashree Pande)