A total of 47 farmers, rural women and youths attended the five-day training programme on the “Cultivation of Winter Season Mushrooms” which concluded at the Skill Development Centre of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today. The programme was held under the guidance of Dr MS Bhullar, Director of Extension Education.
Dr Rupinder Kaur, Associate Director (Skill Development), said that there was a rising trend for mushroom cultivation due to less space, minimum investment and more profit. Mushroom farming was being advocated as a subsidiary occupation, helping in accruing monetary benefits, nutritional security as well as livelihood sustainability, she added.
Dr Prerna Kapila, Course Coordinator, cited the successful examples of PAU-skilled mushroom growers who were earning substantially from its cultivation as well as processing. She alongwith Mrs Kuldeep Kaur demonstrated the mushroom-based processing technologies.
Dr Dilpreet Singh, Course Coordinator, shared the importance of farm related occupations in the income enhancement of the landless, small and medium farmers as well as unemployed youth.
A Professor of Microbiology Dr Shammi Kapoor, Dean, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities; and Dr Shivani Sharma, Mycologist, explained the agronomic practices for the successful cultivation of paddy straw, milky, dhingri and Shiitake mushrooms.
Dr Sukhjit Kaur, Dr Sonika Sharma, Dr Ramandeep Singh, Dr Maninder Kaur, Dr Narinder Kalsi, and Dr IS Sandhu shared the nutritional benefits, processing techniques, profitable marketing of mushroom related products and subsidy available for the startups.
Mrs Kanwaljit Kaur proposed a vote of thanks.
Read more: https://www.pau.edu/index.php?_act=manageEvent&DO=viewEventDetail&dataE=datae&intID=9576
