Two College Students Set Up a Soil-Less Mushroom Farm and Earned Rs 80,000 in 60 Days

How Two College Students Set Up a Soil-Less Mushroom Farm and Earned Rs 80,000 in 60 Days

Mushroom farming is a lucrative agri-business that can be started with low investment and space. Mushrooms are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and have many health benefits. They are also in high demand in the market, especially the exotic varieties like oyster and button mushrooms.

But growing mushrooms is not an easy task. It requires a lot of skill, knowledge and care to produce high-quality mushrooms. One of the main challenges is to prepare the compost or substrate, which is the medium where the mushrooms grow. The traditional composting methods involve using organic materials like wheat straw, horse dung, poultry manure and gypsum, which are not easily available and can be expensive. Moreover, the composting process takes a long time and can produce foul odour and pests.

However, two college students from Kota, Rajasthan, have found a way to overcome these challenges and set up a successful mushroom farm using a soil-less technique. Yashraj Sahu and Rahul Meena are final year BSc Agriculture students who have a passion for mushroom farming. They founded Agro Steps Pvt Ltd, a company that sells oyster mushrooms in fresh and powder form.

The soil-less technique of mushroom farming

• The duo set up their farm in a 625 sq ft plot using bamboo, green net and black polythene. They used sawdust as the substrate instead of soil or compost. 
• Sawdust is a cheap and easily available material that can be sterilized and inoculated with mushroom spawn. 
• The spawn is the seed material that contains the mushroom mycelium or root-like structure.
• Yashraj and Rahul prepared 500 bags of sawdust substrate and hung them in their farm. 
• They maintained optimal temperature, humidity and ventilation for the mushrooms to grow. 
• Within 45 to 60 days, they harvested 1000 kg of oyster mushrooms from one batch.
•  They sold the fresh mushrooms for Rs 100-150 per kg and the powder for Rs 1500-2000 per kg. 
• In this way, they earned Rs 80,000 within two months of starting their farm.

The benefits of the soil-less technique

The soil-less technique has many advantages over the conventional composting method. It saves time, money and labour. It also reduces the risk of contamination and disease. It produces higher yield and quality of mushrooms. It is also eco-friendly as it does not produce any waste or pollution.

The future plans of the young entrepreneurs

Yashraj and Rahul are not only making profits from their farm but also inspiring other young people to take up mushroom farming as a career option. They have trained more than 100 students and farmers in their technique and have plans to expand their business to other states. They also want to grow other varieties of mushrooms like button, shiitake and milky.

Yashraj says that he learned about mushroom farming from a farmer in his village when he was in school. He then took a one-month course from Krishi Van, an agricultural institute in Dehradun, and started experimenting with different methods. He says that he always wanted to start his own business and be successful.

Rahul says that he joined Yashraj as his friend and partner because he was impressed by his vision and dedication. He says that mushroom farming is a rewarding profession that can provide good income and employment opportunities.

The two students have proved that with innovation, hard work and determination, anything is possible. They have shown how a soil-less mushroom farm can be a profitable venture that can benefit both the farmers and the consumers.