MUSHROOMS IN iNDIA

Abstract

India occupies 2.4% of the world’s land area and supports 15% of the world population. About 70% of the population depends on agriculture and allied activities. The average nutritional status of the country is also low among women and children especially in rural areas. Unemployment is a social concern. Under these conditions, mushroom cultivation and consumption can be a very viable, eco-friendly alternative for recycling lignocellulosic wastes, better nutrition for the predominantly vegetarian population, employment generation and alternative source of income. India produces 144 million tons of surplus agricultural residues of which more than 50% is either burnt in situ or ploughed in fields. Even if 10% of the surplus waste is recycled through mushroom cultivation; 7.2 million tones of fresh mushrooms can be produced as against the present annual production of 41,000 tons (0.51% of world production) in comparison to countries like China, which produces 64.69% of the world production. The mushroom consumption data of India is lowest (50-75 g/annum) among the countries whose data is available for e.g. 4.80-7.53 kg/annum in Mexico and 1.8 kg/annum in Zimbabwe. There is a serious need to introspect about the reasons for such low production and consumption of mushrooms and formulate strategies to use mushroom technology as a viable tool for sustainable development.